Against the economic conditions, academics also called for a salary regulation. Academics stated that they could not afford their vital needs and scientific research costs.
While the economic crisis is affecting all citizens, citizens are hardly reaching the end of the month. While every occupational group demanded a regulation in their salaries against the price increases, improvements were made in some occupational groups.
Academics, whose salaries have not been improved for a long time, called for an arrangement.
Research assistant Ömer Orbay Çetin, Founder of Research Assistants Solidarity Platform (AGDAP), who made a statement on behalf of academics, reacted by saying, "The cost of both making a living and doing scientific research has increased too much, it is necessary to make arrangements."
AWAY FROM FINANCING ACADEMIC STUDIES
Drawing attention to the bad course of the economy in recent years, Çetin stated that the decline in purchasing power has affected academicians as well as all working groups.
"With the decrease in purchasing power, academics have become far from meeting even their most basic vital needs, let alone financing their academic studies," he added.
“ACADEMICIANS HAVE TO FOLLOW EVERY DEVELOPMENT IN THEIR OWN FIELD”
Stating that some of the academics have to spend their income on academic studies, Çetin stated that the current salaries are not enough to meet the living needs and the costs of working together.
"Each academician has to follow the developments in his field in order to carry out academic studies at world standards and to raise students who can create added value for our country. Unfortunately, it has become very difficult to even cover the cost of attending a national conference, while attending an international conference has become impossible. On the other hand, producing qualified and especially international scientific publications is another issue that has become impossible in recent years due to cost. Academicians throughout the country, especially those living in metropolises, have difficulty in meeting rents, bills and other living expenses and they do not have a budget for their academic activities", he stated.
REQUIRED TO RECEIVE AT LEAST ABOVE THE POVERTY LINE
Recalling the reports announced by Higher Education Council (YÖK), Çetin stated that there has been a decrease in the number of published articles by Turkish scientists, and underlined that it has been a long time since the last regulation on the salaries of academicians.
"Since the last improvement to academics was made in 2014, the gap with other career professions in the public sector has widened. While the salary of a Research Assistant was 3.75 times the minimum wage in 2014, the year the regulation was made, this rate decreased to 2.17 as of January 2023. It is essential that academics receive salaries above the poverty line, regardless of their branch or title, and that the salaries of our colleagues working at foundation universities are raised above this level," he said.