TMMOB describes temmuz increases as 'wage of misery'

The Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) launched a harsh criticism against the salary increase rates announced for the second half of the year for civil servants, civil servant retirees, and SSK and Bağ-Kur retirees. In a written statement made by TMMOB Board of Directors Chairman Ali Ekber Çakar, it was emphasized that these rates presented as 'increases' by the ruling party would be insufficient to rescue workers and retirees from poverty. It was stated that the 13.52 percent increase determined for public workers and civil servant retirees falls short under current economic conditions. Similarly, it was expressed that the 17.76 percent increase to be made to the pensions of SSK and Bağ-Kur retirees is far from providing an adequate income to live humanely. TMMOB demonstrated its reaction by resolutely describing these rates as a 'wage of misery'.

In the statement announced to the public, attention was drawn to the dramatic increase in basic living expenses across the country. It was stated that expenditures that citizens are obliged to pay, especially such as rent, food, transportation, and energy, are in a continuous upward trend. TMMOB argued that determining wage and salary increases based solely on official inflation data does not reflect the real core inflation of the people, and that this situation pushes millions of citizens into deep poverty. Çakar stated that the increase rates presented by the ruling party are far from meeting even the minimum conditions required for workers and retirees to lead a dignified life. In this context, a call was made to reconsider current economic policies and restructure them by placing the real needs of the people at the center.

The issue was taken to a political dimension in the statement of the civil society organization, noting that budgets are the most concrete indicators of the political choices that determine the country's economic priorities. Çakar stated that the state budget is not merely a technical document consisting of revenue and expenditure figures, but rather a mirror that clearly reveals which social segments the ruling party stands by. This approach is considered highly unacceptable on the grounds that current budget policies work against the working classes and deepen inequality. TMMOB emphasized that the government must consider the welfare of the broad masses of the people instead of capital centers when distributing its economic resources. Institution officials stated that the current picture is unsustainable for the future of the country and social peace.

Another important leg of the discussion was formed by the foreign policy and defense-oriented criticism that TMMOB advocated regarding the use of public resources. In the statement, the transfer of country's resources to armament and war policies required by international military alliances such as NATO was strongly condemned. Çakar argued that these massive economic resources should be used directly for the welfare of the Turkish people, not for the interests of foreign imperialist circles. Instead of the government's tendency to increase defense spending, a call was made to transfer these funds to the basic needs of workers, retirees, and poor segments of the public. TMMOB emphasized that engineering and architecture, which are its own fields, must also focus on peaceful and public projects that benefit the people.

The Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects concluded its statement by reiterating their determination to defend labor, social peace, and public welfare. President Çakar explicitly stated that as an institution, they will continue to defend the people's right to a humane life to the end. Attention was drawn to the potential of unions and professional chambers to show civil disobedience and mass reaction against increasingly growing economic hardships. The melting of the increased salaries that millions of public workers and retirees will receive in temmuz against inflation indicates that there may be an increase in worker and civil servant movements in the upcoming period. As a result, TMMOB condemned the current economic management and budget policies on the grounds that they work against the people, reiterating its demand for an urgent return to a just welfare policy.