The Didim Branch of the Union of All Retirees held a protest with empty pots, pans and whistles due to the low wage increase given to retired citizens.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has submitted a bill to parliament that will lift the minimum pension by 2,500 Turkish Liras to 12,500 liras ($378). Some 3.7 million of the country’s 15.8 million pensioners will benefit from the increase, said Abdullah Güler, AKP parliamentary group chair.
However, the Didim Branch of the Union of All Retirees protested the increase as too low. The union members, who said “We have an objection” in the protests held at the entrance to Didim Altınkum, on Yalı Street, protested with empty pots, pans and whistles.
In a press release read by the union head Haydar Pınarbaşı, he stated that the lowest retirement salary being 12,500 TL would not be sufficient in today’s economic conditions.
Pınarbaşı said: “Today, as if it were a favor, it was announced that the lowest retirement salary that retirees will benefit from will be increased to 12,500 TL.
“Everyone here knows what it means to talk about 12,500 TL in a country where a kilo of meat exceeds 500 TL, cheese exceeds 300 TL or diesel is 46 TL.”
He added: “The minimum wage has become the basic wage in this country. The lowest retirement salary is also being tried to be continued with increases in a way that will unite all retirees in poverty.
“While we, as public workers, receive more than twice the minimum wage when we retire, today it has almost reached the same level as the minimum wage. We came here to shout that we will not surrender to poverty.
“We have carried out field actions with the strong support of retiree unions and public workers union confederation throughout the country. Our concern is not to go to the streets and disturb people. We are not people who are happy to be here like this at our age.
“We want to sit at home and have a nice rest or experience the peace of being on vacation. Those who force us to be here should be ashamed. There is a new tax law tax package to be presented to the parliament. In short, what we want is the establishment of a salary system where all retirees and workers will live humanely.
“No other country in the world collects as much indirect tax as ours. Therefore, the tax burden on workers should be ended immediately. The shame of saying that retirees are a burden to this country should be abandoned. We gave our youth, our sweat, our labor to this country.”
The AKP bill plans to introduce a minimum 15 percent corporate tax on multinational companies.