Everybody’s neighbour is on minimum wage

Economy Service

The minimum wage increase directly or indirectly concerns everyone who lives by their labour, along with 18 million private sector workers and their families. While the undemocratic structure of the table, already shaky before it is even formed, is being discussed, the widespread nature of this wage is striking.

Households unable to get above hunger levels and unable to heat their homes, young, old, women and men are being pushed into minimum living. Millions forced to pay the cost of austerity policies are waiting for the minimum wage increase. In a country often said to be polarised the real sides are clear: on one side is the struggle for life of those who live by their labour and on the other the comfort of companies, banks, capital owners and government circles.

The minimum wage earner, who received a negative increase in line with target inflation last year following international finance circles and the IMF’s signals, now expects compensation for what was lost. Yet the policy of “low wages for disinflation” is held almost as a threat in the hands of the government. With wages expressed as 5, 10, 20 above and below the minimum, the overwhelming majority of workers in the country are condemned to poverty level incomes.

DİSK-AR’s 2026 Minimum Wage report also once again showed how widespread the wage is. A large share of the pie is taken from workers. In the private sector 53.2 of employees are minimum wage earners.

A total of 8 million 359 thousand workers, corresponding to 46.7, earn 22,104 lira or less per month. Sixty three out of every 100 workers earn at or below 20 above the minimum wage. Only 12.7 earn more than twice the minimum wage.

In the retirement period, which should provide a dignified rest in old age, citizens are trapped between hunger and insecurity. As pensions remain fixed at poverty levels, retirees unable to make ends meet with low pensions are pushed into insecure informal work. Among women pushed out of the labour force and among informal workers, the rate of minimum wage earners reaches 90. Among informal workers, 85.3 earn at or below 5 above the minimum wage and 91.7 work at levels neighbouring the minimum wage.

With government policies making the minimum wage widespread and turning it into an average standard, women workers have become confined to earning the minimum wage at most. According to this, 60.1 of women earn the minimum wage or less. A total of 4.1 million women workers can only reach 10 above the minimum wage.

DİSK-AR’s study offered findings that disprove the claim of “high wages high inflation”. The report stated: “There is profit driven inflation in Turkey. In some years real increases well above official inflation were made to the minimum wage. Yet this did not trigger inflation. For example, in 2012 the minimum wage was increased by a net 11.8. Inflation in the previous year (2011) was 10.5. In 2012 inflation fell to 6.2. In 2016, when the highest real increase to the minimum wage was made in the AKP period, inflation fell compared with the previous year. The minimum wage does not trigger inflation. The data show this”.

HEATING THE HOME IS FOR THE RICH

Mekanda Adalet Derneği has released the findings of its Energy Poverty Outlook research. According to this at least one third of households in Maltepe, İstanbul are energy poor, with this rate rising to 50 in poorer districts. Rising utility bills for heating in winter and cooling in summer have brought households face to face with the reality of energy poverty. Known for its work on urban policies and environmental justice, the association prepared a study that for the first time revealed the extent of energy poverty at district level.

The report showed that energy poverty in Turkey is deepening due to climate change, growing economic inequalities, high inflation and low energy performance of homes. According to the research conducted between January and May 2025, 31.8 of households are energy poor. In low income neighbourhoods energy poverty approaches 50 and as households grow larger it becomes more severe, with 36.5 of households of four or more being energy poor.

Although cooling or heating against extreme heat and cold is a matter of rights, a significant share of participants describe adequately heating or cooling the home as “something for the rich”. A total of 38.8 of households say they would heat their homes more if they could. This rises to 82.2 in energy poor households. Sixteen per cent of households say they know they need insulation but cannot afford it. Heatwaves linked to the climate crisis increase the need for cooling and 43.4 say they want to cool their homes more.

The research also shows the pressure of energy costs on households.

In the upper income group average monthly heating costs are calculated at 3,745 TL and electricity costs at 1,208 TL, while in lower and middle income groups heating costs are 2,319–2,403 TL and electricity costs 816–862 TL. This shows that lower middle income households are forced to cut back on energy use.

EVEN IF THE STRUCTURE OF THE COMMISSION CHANGES IT WON’T BE RESOLVED

Türk-İş announced that they are considering whether to return to the minimum wage table. Türk-İş President Ergün Atalay evaluated efforts to restructure the Minimum Wage Determination Commission by reducing the number of government representatives while keeping the five worker and five employer members fixed. He said: “I don’t think anything will change”. Following Labour and Social Security Minister Vedat Işıkhan’s previous visit to Türk-İş, Atalay convened the Executive Board because of the proposal to reduce government representatives on the commission from five to one. Responding to journalists’ questions, Atalay said the following about the Minister’s visit the previous day: “Vedat Bey came here at 14.30 yesterday. He asked ‘I will go to the Cabinet from here. What do you think?’ We said ‘We have been telling you for 11 months what we think’. We said we would speak if an official response comes”.

Atalay said that it is impossible to live on the minimum wage: “In the past this money was minimum wage, now it has become subsistence wage. Not one person but a family lives on it. What we have been saying for 11 months is what you have been bringing up for two months. There is no harm if all unions and others talk about this. There is no one who is unionised and works for 22,000 lira. People are aggrieved. First this country must solve the problems of minimum wage earners and retirees. Civil servants, workers, everyone has problems but priority lies with these two groups. I am president of Türk-İş so of course I must speak of the problems of those I represent. But I live in this country. I must speak of the problems and difficulties in this country”.

TÜRK-İŞ’S DEMANDS

Türk-İş did not announce any figures or rates but listed its demands as follows:

Cover the official inflation loss in rent, food, education and transport.

After covering the difference in the first 20 items apply a welfare share.

TÜİK should conduct Türk-İş’s hunger and poverty line research every month.

NO SINGLE DIGIT INFLATION ON THE HORIZON ACCORDING TO THE OECD

The OECD has published the second edition of its Economic Outlook report. The organisation found that global growth trends will continue. It also announced its forecasts for the Turkish economy, evaluating growth, interest rates and inflation. According to the OECD inflation in the country will be 34.5 at the end of this year. Year end inflation is expected to be 20.8 in 2026 and 11.7 in 2027. No single digit inflation appeared in the forecasts. According to the estimates Turkey will have the highest inflation among G20 countries including non member Argentina in 2026. Turkey will also have the highest inflation among OECD members. The OECD, which also raised growth forecasts, expects the country to grow 3.6 in 2025, 3.4 in 2026 and 4 in 2027. It expects interest rates to remain high and forecasts that the Central Bank will reduce its policy rate from the current 40.5 to 25 at the end of 2026 and to 17 at the end of 2027.

METAL WORKERS READY

Workers in factories covered by the MESS Group collective agreement, the largest private sector collective bargaining agreement affecting more than 150,000 workers, are awaiting news from the table. Metal workers sent the message that they are ready for struggle if no result comes out of the negotiations on 8 December. Birleşik Metal-İş President Özkan Atar, the General Executive Board and Gebze Branch No. 2 managers visited Yücel Boru workers at the factory. Declaring they will fight to the end for their rights in case of disagreement, workers chanted together: “This is only the beginning struggle continues”.

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Herkesin komşusu asgari ücret, published in BirGün newspaper on December 3, 2025.