12.12.2025 06:40
The commission responsible for determining the new minimum wage, which directly affects approximately 7 million employees and indirectly concerns the general public, will hold its first meeting today at 2:00 PM. Before today's meeting of the Minimum Wage Determination Commission, President Erdoğan called on employers to "put their hands under the stone." Here are the scenarios for wage increases that will be discussed at the commission meeting, which millions are focused on...
The process has begun for the Minimum Wage Determination Commission, consisting of representatives from workers, employers, and the government, to determine the new minimum wage figure. The commission's first meeting will be held today.
Last week, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security invited Türk-İş, representing the workers, and the Turkish Employers' Associations Confederation (TİSK), representing the employers, to the meeting scheduled for today at 14:00.
ATALAY: I STAND BY MY WORD
However, the discussions start with a debate over the commission's structure. Türk-İş, representing the workers, announced that it would not attend the meeting if no changes were made to the commission's structure. Türk-İş President Ergün Atalay responded to a question about whether he would attend the meeting by saying, "I stand by my word."
Türk-İş opposes the ability of the employers and the government to make decisions despite the objections of the workers. After the union reacted to the determination of the minimum wage as 22,104 lira net for 2025 with a 30% increase last year, discussions about the structure of the Minimum Wage Determination Commission had come to the fore.
In response, Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan proposed reducing the number of government representatives in the commission, which is represented by five members each from workers, employers, and the government, from five to one. Türk-İş President Ergün Atalay stated that they expect proposals regarding their demands to be presented in written form.
ERDOĞAN: I EXPECT THEM TO PUT THEIR HANDS UNDER THE STONE
Speaking to the employers at TİSK's 29th Ordinary General Assembly in Ankara, President Erdoğan also made a call regarding the determination of the minimum wage, saying, "I expect them to put their hands under the stone."
"Every positive step you take towards our worker brothers will return as productivity, profit, and abundance. I always say; there is no pocket in the shroud," Erdoğan continued: "It is essential for us that the relationship between workers and employers is fair. When this relationship is not established on a healthy ground, the path to exploitation and injustice will open before us. The perspective we have in the relationships between workers and employers is based on rights and justice. A system where no one is victimized is our priority."
ECONOMIST SEYFETTİN ERDOĞAN SPOKE TO HABERLER.COM
Economist Prof. Dr. Seyfettin Erdoğan, speaking to Haberler.com, stated, "I do not expect an increase that will exceed the 30% band. An increase that exceeds this band does not align with the 2026 targets. In the implementation of the minimum wage, inflation rates for the upcoming period are taken into account more."
IT NEEDS TO BE DETERMINED BY THE END OF THE MONTH
According to the law, the minimum wage that will be valid in 2026 needs to be determined and announced by the end of the month. For the meeting to be valid, the participation of 10 commission members is sufficient.
CURRENT MINIMUM WAGE FIGURES
Before determining the new minimum wage, the currently applicable minimum wage figures are as follows:
Gross minimum wage for a worker: 26,005.50 lira.
Net minimum wage after deductions: 22,104.67 lira.
TOTAL COST TO EMPLOYERS
The total cost of the minimum wage to employers is applied as 30,621.48 lira for one worker.
The details of this total cost consist of the following items:
Gross minimum wage: 26,005.50 TL
Social security premium: 4,095.87 TL
Employer unemployment insurance fund: 520.11 TL
The commission aims to determine the new minimum wage through meetings it will hold in the upcoming process.
HERE ARE THE SCENARIOS ON THE TABLE FOR THE INCREASE
Before the meeting, different scenarios for minimum wage increases for 2026 are also on the table.
Accordingly:
If a 25% increase is made, the net minimum wage is expected to be 27,630 lira.
In the 27% increase scenario, the net wage is expected to rise to 28,072 lira.
In the case of a 29% increase, the net minimum wage is calculated to be 28,515 lira.
If a 31% increase is applied, the net wage is expected to rise to 28,957 lira.
In the 32% increase scenario, the net minimum wage is expected to reach 29,178 lira.
If a 33% increase is made, the net minimum wage is expected to be 29,399 lira.