03.11.2026 13:40
While millions of retirees have their eyes on the salary increases to be made in January 2027, a noteworthy statement came from Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan. Stating that they are aware of the economic difficulties experienced by retirees, Işıkhan announced that they are carrying out work to make additional improvements on top of the existing legal increases. Minister Işıkhan announced that the regulation is targeted to be implemented starting from January 2027.
Speaking during the budget negotiations of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security at the Plan and Budget Commission of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Minister Vedat Işıkhan said that a new regulation concerning pensions is being worked on.
Stating that they aim to increase the purchasing power of retirees, Işıkhan made the following statements:
"We are aware of the economic conditions experienced by our retirees and we continue our work to raise their level of welfare with determination. In this context, we are carrying out a study that is targeted to take effect as of January 2027 and that includes improvements in addition to the existing statutory increases."
INCOME DIFFERENCES AMONG RETIREES WILL BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT
Minister Işıkhan stated that income differences among retirees will also be considered in the work carried out under the instruction of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Işıkhan said that the principles of justice and fairness will be taken as basis in the regulation, and that they are focusing on an approach aimed at increasing retirees' purchasing power and living standards.
THE WORK WILL BE SUBMITTED TO PARLIAMENT ONCE COMPLETED
Stating that the regulation on pensions is being prepared in coordination with the economic management, Işıkhan reported that the work is being carried out under the chairmanship of Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz.
Noting that Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek and public institutions in the Economic Coordination Board are also involved in the process, Işıkhan said that after preparations are completed, the regulation will be shared with the public and submitted to the discretion of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.
"THE MINIMUM WAGE DETERMINATION COMMISSION WILL MEET IN DECEMBER"
Recalling that the net minimum wage is 28,075 lira, Işıkhan said that a real increase of 207 percent has been achieved in the minimum wage since 2002. Reporting that the Minimum Wage Determination Commission will meet next month to determine the 2027 minimum wage, Işıkhan continued his words as follows:
"To protect registered employment, support additional employment and especially to be able to set the minimum wage at a higher level, we increased the Minimum Wage Support we implement to 1,270 lira in 2026; we provided 48.4 billion lira in support to approximately 1.5 million workplaces.
In the salaries of our civil servants and retired civil servants, a cumulative increase of 34.63 percent was realized in 2026 together with collective agreement gains. The lowest civil servant salary rose to 70,224 lira in July. In addition, we increased the base salaries of our civil servants by 1,000 lira in a way that will also be reflected in retirement salaries. Within the scope of the Collective Agreement for the current 2026-2027 period, the 5 percent and 4 percent increases for 2027 for our civil servants and retired civil servants, as well as any possible inflation difference, will also be reflected in salaries. With the 2025-2026 Public Collective Labour Agreements Framework Protocol, we also provided improvements in the wages and social rights of our public workers. In this context, with the base wage and equal increase arrangements, we supported the incomes of our employees at different wage levels. In our wage policies, we will continue to safeguard the purchasing power and welfare of our employees together with our social partners."
AN 8.29 PERCENT RAISE ALREADY APPEARS FOR RETIREES
Meanwhile, with the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) announcing the October inflation data, the four-month increase rate for SSK and BAĞ-KUR retirees was calculated as 8.29 percent, while the increase rate for civil servants and retired civil servants, including the collective agreement raise, was calculated as 6.27 percent.