Retirees Association of Turkey (TÜED) Chairman Kazım Ergün pointed out that around 13 million retirees and beneficiaries constitute a significant part of the country's population, and stated that despite their demands, millions of retirees still have problems waiting to be solved.
Ergün said that the main demand of retirees is to increase their income, "It is also a requirement of being a social state that retirees are paid a pension sufficient to live humanely. Adjustment should be made to ensure equality in pensions, and the lowest pension should be raised to the minimum wage," he added.
The inflation figures to be announced today will also determine the rate of increase that retirees will receive, but...
We can't keep up with the market prices, at least "Holiday bonuses should be indexed to the minimum wage increase"
The Chairman of the All Worker Retired Widows and Orphans Association, Satilmis Çalışkan, demanded that holiday bonuses be indexed to the minimum wage increase, and that a "standard union law" based on services and premiums covering all retirees be enacted.
Çalışkan, "However, we cannot keep up with the market prices. Increases are evaluated according to instructions, not basic need. The increase in holiday bonuses at the end of three years is not enough. There is no indication of an increase for the future. Our demand is that this be indexed to the minimum wage increase," he said.
1 IN 10 PEOPLE TRY TO MAKE A LIFE ON A PENSION
The Social Security Institution pays pensions to a total of 9,187,000 people, of which 5,964,000 are SSK, 1,654,000 are insuranced self-employed institution (Bağ-Kur), 1,569,000 are in the status of Pension Fund.
When the deceased spouse, 3,878,000 people who receive their mother or father's pension, and 318,000 people who receive disability, duty disability and permanent incapacity pensions are added, the number of people who receive monthly and income from the institution reaches 13,383,000.