TURKEY: The plight of retirees who are condemned to live on 10,000 TL (300 usd) in Turkey is getting worse
There are thousands of retirees in Turkey who are sentenced to 10 thousand liras (nearly 300 usd) per month. The number of employees who are retired because they cannot make ends meet is increasing. But what about people who are not able to work due to health or age problems? They are left to die.
One of the most painful economic problems is the livelihood problem of retired citizens. The high cost of living in the economy and the livelihood problems of Turkish citizens; the minimum wage is 17 thousand TL, the pension is 10 thousand TL, the pensions have been increased to 12 thousand 500 TL as of July 1 by straining the budget possibilities, and millions of people are struggling to make ends meet with social assistance fees melting away against inflation.
According to the June 2024 report of Türk-İş, the hunger limit is 18 thousand 978. This means that everyone who earns less than 18 thousand 978 TL in this country is doomed to starve. The poverty line is 61 thousand 921. The cost of living for a single employee is 24 thousand 614 per month. In a Turkey with these figures, citizens will have a minimum wage of 17 thousand TL, a pension of 12 thousand 500. To impose a penalty on social assistance fees is, to put it mildly, unconscionable and merciless.
In the report comparing the situation of retirees in Europe and Turkey, the average pension in Turkey is one sixth of the central European countries. The average pension in Turkey is only one-sixth of that of central European countries.
Looking at 2021, the average pension is 1417 Euros in Spain, 1485 Euros in France, 1552 Euros in Germany, 1582 Euros in Italy, 1717 Euros in Belgium, 2003 Euros in the Netherlands, while it is 237 Euros in Turkey. Pensions in euros decreased by 33.6 percent between 2012 and 2021 in Turkey.
In Europe, the number of countries with lower monthly salaries than Turkey increased from 9 in 2012 to 1 in 2021. While there were 11 countries in Europe with lower old-age pensions than Turkey in 2012, there will be only 2 countries left in 2021.
The average old-age pension in Turkey, which was 447 Euros in 2012, decreased by 37.2 percent to 281 Euros in 2021. Less resources were allocated to pensions in Turkey than half of Europe. While the ratio of pension payments to GDP was 9.5 percent in the EU-27 average, it was 4.1 percent in Turkey.
Turkey’s harsh economic living conditions and the current high cost of living infuriate retired citizens and make life unlivable day by day.
Considering all these situations, people’s right to a dignified life is taken away and they are pushed into the clutches of poverty, which is likened to blasphemy in the hadith of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh.
