There are negotiations, but no workers
The process of determining the minimum wage has been shaped for years by the decisions of the government and employer bloc. Ninety per cent of the 186 ILO member countries have a minimum wage system implemented by law or collective bargaining agreements.
A challenging period has begun, with discussions focusing not only on the increase to the minimum wage but also on the method of determining the wage and the structure of the commission.
The debate intensified after Türk-İş announced it would not participate in the negotiations unless the commission's structure was changed. The first meeting of the minimum wage determination commission, which will decide the fate of millions of workers, took place without a worker representative.
Last week's first meeting, attended by employer and government representatives, lasted about an hour and a half, but its contents were not shared with the public.
The critical process of determining the 2026 minimum wage will continue with the second meeting this week. However, the government has not taken any concrete steps regarding the undemocratic structure of the commission and the wage determination process.
The Minimum Wage report prepared by DİSK-AR for 2026 included a section on “Minimum wage determination methods around the world”. The report noted that there is no single model for determining the minimum wage around the world and that there are various mechanisms that vary according to the political and trade union traditions of each country. While most countries have a legally binding minimum wage system, it is noted that European countries, particularly the Scandinavian countries, do not have a mandatory legal system for minimum wages, and that in these countries, the minimum wage is determined by collective bargaining agreements at the national or sectoral level.
According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), 90 per cent of the 186 ILO member countries have a minimum wage system implemented through laws or collective bargaining agreements. The remaining 10 per cent do not have a minimum wage system. According to ILO estimates, 90 per cent of countries with minimum wage applications have a legally binding minimum wage mechanism, while in 10 per cent, the minimum wage level is determined by collective bargaining agreements.
THREE MAIN METHODS
The DİSK-AR report lists three main methods for determining the minimum wage worldwide: by the government, through consultation/negotiation, and through collective bargaining. Accordingly, countries such as the United States, Brazil, and the Netherlands announce the minimum wage directly by government decision. In countries such as France and Ireland, the government consults with a commission or council composed of trade unions and employers before making a decision. In Scandinavian countries such as Sweden and Denmark, the minimum wage is determined through collective bargaining between trade unions and employers, without government intervention.
The process of determining the minimum wage varies significantly between countries. According to the report, there are serious differences between countries in terms of the timing, frequency and method of increase of the minimum wage, as well as the rules used to determine it. In some countries, the revision of the minimum wage is at the discretion of the government, while in other cases it is automatically increased through an indexation mechanism.
The practices for increasing the minimum wage are divided into two categories: rule-based and discretionary.
Rule-based minimum wage increases refer to situations where the increase is officially linked to a type of indexation or rule. In some countries, inflation and growth rates are used as a basis. Methods include indexation to the health index in Belgium, indexation to the CPI in France, and indexation to the collective agreement wage basket in the Netherlands. In Poland, Indonesia and Brazil, the minimum wage is indexed to the average or median wage, while in some countries such as Slovakia, Bulgaria and Lithuania, there is a rule that the minimum wage cannot be less than 60 per cent of the average wage.
The minimum wage at the discretion of the government refers to a situation where either there is no rule or these criteria can be disregarded by public institutions or the body that determines the minimum wage. Countries such as the USA, Turkey, Croatia, Chile and Spain fall into this category.
27 OBJECTIONS FROM WORKERS
Turkey is also included in this group because, in cases where no agreement is reached between workers and employers, the vote of government representatives is decisive. According to the DİSK-AR report, out of 50 minimum wage negotiations held between 1974 and 2025, agreement was only reached 14 times. While the workers' side objected to the minimum wage set 27 times, the minimum wage amount for these years was determined by the joint stance of the government and employers' side. The employer side only opposed the minimum wage 9 times. Therefore, in Turkey, the minimum wage is determined not through the social dialogue mechanism and consensus between the parties, but by the majority decision of the government-employer bloc.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Masa var, işçi yok, published in BirGün newspaper on December 15, 2025.
