Minimum wage ‘should go up in line with cost of living’
THE monthly minimum wage for people who work in the private sector should go up at the same rate as the rise in the cost of living, a union leader said this week.
The minimum wage was last increased in July, when it went up from 7,000TL (6,090TL net) to 9,885TL (8,600TL net) a month.
However the increase of around 41 per cent was below the official 56.76 per cent rise in the cost of living recorded in the first six months of 2022.
Cyprus Turkish Civil Servants Trade Union (KTAMS) chairman Güven Bengihan said in a written statement that according to the Statistical Institute’s official figures, inflation was 24.88 per cent in the last four months (July, August, September and October), 81.64 per cent in the first 10 months of 2022, and 120.72 per cent in a year, which he claimed is the “highest annual inflation rate in the last 27 years”.
“The high price hikes, particularly on electricity, fuel, bottled gas, bread, milk and dairy products, have crippled the people,” he said.
When the increase in the cost of living over the last 10 months is taken into account, minimum wage earners have actually seen their purchasing power fall, he added.
“Our request is to urgently create a legal regulation that will mean the minimum wage increases according to
the cost of living rate, and to update the minimum wage determination criteria and change the structure of the Minimum Wage Determination Commission,” Mr Bengihan said.
“In addition, in order to prevent the exploitation of private sector employees by leaving them at the mercy of their employers, a legal regulation that will enable the private sector to unionise should be sent to Parliament as soon as possible.”
Mr Bengihan also said that the monthly food expenditure required for a “healthy, balanced and adequate diet” for a family of four has increased to 10,600TL, based on calculations made by the KTAMS.
“The difference between the [net] minimum wage and the breadline has increased to 2,000TL,” his statement noted.