Pensioners demand additional raise and welfare share after TÜİK data

The announcement of June inflation data by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) has clarified the inflation difference for the first half of the year. According to the announcement, a reflection rate of 17,75% will be applied to the pensions of Social Security Institution (SGK) and BAĞ-KUR retirees, while a difference of 13,52% will be reflected in the salaries of civil servants and retired civil servants. With June inflation determined as 0,99%, the lowest pension rose to 23 thousand 552 TL, the lowest civil servant salary to 70 thousand 258 TL, and the lowest retired civil servant pension to 31 thousand 527 TL. While these figures constitute the official picture, they once again revealed that there is a serious chasm between the reality on the ground and the expectations of the retired segment.

Following the announcement of the official data, representatives of various retired associations and unions serving in Kocaeli made evaluations regarding the issue and expressed their harsh reactions. The representatives emphasized that the inflation rates announced by TÜİK did not overlap with the price hikes observed in daily life and were inconsistent with reality. Retired representatives, who argued that reflecting only the determined inflation differences would not be sufficient, stated that an additional raise is imperative for retirees struggling to sustain their lives under current economic conditions. In this context, they brought their demands for a flat raise (seyyanen zam) to be applied to salaries and the addition of a welfare share as a solution against the cost of living back to the agenda.

Branch presidents and representatives of retired associations expressed serious doubts that the new salary figures, which have come into force, will be sufficient to sustain the livelihoods of retirees. Adem Özata, the Branch President of the Turkey Retirees Association (Türkiye Emekliler Derneği) in İzmit, stated that the lowest pension rising to the level of 23 thousand TL is not an acceptable figure and that this amount is far from covering the living costs of the retiree. Arguing that the lowest pension should be at least 40 thousand TL, Özata expressed that if their expectations are not met, retirees will have to struggle more with economic means until the end of the year, and he pinned his hope on a flat raise.

Hakan Çağlayan, the President of the Kocaeli Retirees and Workers Association (Kocaeli Emekli ve Emekçi Derneği), reacted harshly to the announcement of June inflation as 0,99%, stating that this figure is not realistic. Çağlayan emphasized that in the face of the high cost of living, the retiree is merely trying to survive, and that despite hikes in everything, such a low rate is unjust. He stated that retirees paid premiums for years but could not get the return, and that if the accumulated premiums had been invested on their own, they would have obtained a better income. Furthermore, he said that the hikes made do not constitute a solution, that retirees are virtually greeted every 6 months in the current system, and that a real welfare share is needed.

Finally, Emekli-Sen Kocaeli Branch President İbrahim Turgut and All Retirees Union Provincial Representative Selahattin Pehlevan emphasized the psychological and physiological effects of the economic crisis on retirees, once again revealing the gravity of the situation. Turgut stated that the announced inflation rates would not be a remedy for the retiree, that TÜİK data has lost its reliability, and that it is no longer possible for a person to live on a salary below the hunger threshold. Pehlevan added that there is a huge difference between TÜİK data and the reality on the street, that basic food needs and rents have become unpayable, that people are threatening suicide in desperation, and that a structural solution must be found immediately.