Hak-İş Confederation Chairman Mahmut Arslan made statements regarding the problems faced by workers in his speech at the Öz İplik-İş Union General Assembly. Drawing attention to the heavy tax burden on wages, Arslan said, “Our demand should be fixed at 10 percent of the tax bracket for all employees until the crisis period ends. We need a fixed tax regulation until the crisis is over and then a fair tax regulation. The common view of most economists is that justice cannot be achieved by raising tax rates. When you reduce the tax rate and spread the tax to the base, more will be collected when tax is collected from the entitlement in a fair environment. We see, a worker who makes it difficult to end the month pay more taxes than lawyers, jewelers, traders. How does this happen, so the tax is taken from those who are caught.”
WE RECOMMEND TO REMOVE INJUSTICE
Reminding his criticisms of the Minimum Wage Determination Commission, Arslan stated that a regulation should be made in the structure of the commission. Emphasizing that they argue the structure of the commission that should be created with a wider participation because it is not inclusive and democratic, Arslan said, “An arrangement that concerns broad segments of society is handed over to a narrow staff. If the commission has a problem of representing wage earners, it should be said. We are told that 'you coveted the commission', we say no, we propose to correct an injustice.”
“PRIVATE SECTOR UNIONS UNDER THREAT”
Noting that the number of workers working with the minimum wage has increased recently, Arslan stated that 38 percent of the wage earners according to Ministry’s statement, half of them according to various accounts, have become the minimum wage earner, and that the minimum wage determination has become Turkey's largest collective bargaining agreement. “What have we been saying as Hak-İş Confederation for 1 year? Turkey is going through a crisis period, those who work under the inflation cost of living are in a difficult situation. Let's raise wages. We do it with public contracts. Public servants do the same. In places where collective bargaining agreement is there, the increase is made when the minimum wage increases. So who will increase the wages of non-unionized people in the private sector? With every increase in the minimum wage, we face a major crisis there as well. Fees are approaching. Employees working for 10 years begin to accuse the union and begin to question unionism. The union movement, collective bargaining experience hardness. Private sector unionism is under threat. We need to see this,” he said.