While three meetings have passed regarding the minimum wage, figures have started to be mentioned from various sectors, especially from Türk-İş. As the share of the welfare and incentives for the minimum wage in 2025 came to the agenda, all eyes turned to President Erdoğan. PRESIDENT ERDOĞAN: WE WILL RAISE IT TO THE BEST POSSIBLE LEVELIn a statement made on December 17, President Erdoğan had set a target without mentioning a figure for the minimum wage. Erdoğan stated, "Although we have not been able to reduce inflation to the desired level, we continue in this direction. There are critical decisions ahead regarding the minimum wage and pensions. We desire to raise the situation of fixed-income earners to the best possible level." ERDOĞAN'S MINIMUM WAGE CALCULATIONPresident Erdoğan, who said, "They are distorting the figures based on pensions and minimum wage," stated: "As you know, in the last two years, the prices of precious metals like gold have reached their highest levels in history. The sudden increase in gold prices has nothing to do with the Turkish economy. Calculations should not be made based on what has risen the most in the world. Another distortion is related to the minimum wage and the lowest pension. When we took over the management of the country, the lowest pension was 66 lira, which is 43 dollars. The minimum wage was 184 lira, equivalent to 122 dollars. Today, the lowest pension is 12,500 lira, which is 370 dollars. The dollar equivalent of the minimum wage is 590 dollars. "WE WILL NOT LET INFLATION EAT AWAY OUR PEOPLE"In a statement made on November 20, President Erdoğan said, "We will not let inflation eat away at our retirees, our civil servants, or our minimum wage earners, nor any segment of society." At this point, it has become a topic of discussion whether Erdoğan will intervene regarding the minimum wage. WILL ERDOĞAN INTERVENE AGAIN?Professor Dr. Cemal Zehir, a faculty member at Yıldız Technical University, was a guest of journalist Abdurrahman Yazıcı on Haberler.com. He stated that it is expected that the President will intervene regarding the minimum wage this year as well. Prof. Dr. Cemal Zehir said, "In the previous minimum wage period, the President had made an addition of 12% to 13%. They are asking for this again. However, I do not think he will use this authority to the extent that workers expect. The state provides a certain level of support for the minimum wage. While the state takes on the employer's burden in the minimum wage, it also provides incentives. This is also expected to happen. Considering the economic conditions in Turkey, I think there could be an increase of around 30%, which could go up to 23,000."
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