Academics who carry out academic studies at universities also stated that there has been no improvement in their salaries for a long time and called for regulation. Academics, who had difficulties in the face of increasing costs, underlined that scientific studies also stopped.
While the economic crisis is affecting all the citizens, it is difficult for the citizens to end the month. While each occupational group demanded adjustments in their salaries against the price increases, improvements were made in some occupational groups.
Academics who wanted to take advantage of this situation also called for a raise.
Research Assistant Ömer Orbay Çetin, Founder of Research Assistants Solidarity Platform (AGDAP), underlined that no regulation has been made on the salaries of academics for about 10 years, and stated that their base salary expectation is 70 thousand TL.
“WE RECEIVE LOWER WAGES THAN PUBLIC WORKERS”
Expressing that no improvement has been made to the salaries of academicians for a long time, Çetin stated that academics are ignored and noted that the government and opposition promised to improve.
"As academics, we want this promise of improvement not to remain as an election promise. Consider that the profession of academics, which was one of the most preferred professions in our country only ten years ago and was at the top of all kinds of research, has turned into a profession that is neither recommended nor preferred. We, who had similar financial rights with other career professions in 2015, receive lower salaries than public workers as of 2023. While advocating for every profession to be prosperous without targeting any profession, we are extremely unhappy and offended that our own profession is forgotten so much," Çetin said.
“WE CANNOT FOCUS ON SCIENCE”
Expressing that academics should be in a better position within the scope of their duties, as in all countries, Çetin emphasized that academicians are also deprived of fringe benefits.
"We have to personally cover all kinds of expenses that you can think of, from sourcing to congress expenses. Due to many reasons that can be explained at length, we have become unable to focus on science due to the financial difficulties of academics, as well as financial difficulties," Çetin added.
ACADEMICIANS' SALARY EXPECTATION 70,000 TL
Expressing their demands for a base salary in order to be a solution to the situation of academics, Çetin reminded the improvements made to public workers and the improvements that were said to be made to civil servant salaries in July.
"When we make the current calculations of the academic improvement made about ten years ago, we expect the base academic salary to be 70,000 TL", Çetin said.