Yozgur Özel, the leader of the largest opposition party in Turkey - the Republican People's Party (CHP), sharply criticized the ruling party for the increase in the net minimum wage in the country in 2026 to 28,075 Turkish liras (556 euros), which he described as a “disgrace”, emphasizing that the amount is below the official poverty line set by Turkish unions.
In a post on his Ex profile, Özel wrote: “Today, the official poverty line (in Turkey) is 30,000 Turkish liras (595 euros). For the first time in our history, the minimum wage has been announced below it“.
“We have warned the rulers many times and demanded that the minimum wage be 39,000 liras, but the AKP (Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party), closed in its meeting rooms, did not hear the voice of the street and today announced that 2026 will be a year of misery. The responsibility for this disgrace lies entirely with (Turkish President and AKP leader Recep Tayyip) Erdogan“, Özel also wrote.
“Since 2026 cannot become a year of livelihood, let it become an election year“, Özel concluded his post.
Ergün Atalay, the chairman of one of Turkey's leading workers' unions “Türk-İş" (Türk-İş), whose representatives refused to participate in the discussions on setting the minimum wage in Turkey for next year, also expressed their disappointment with the news, notes the Birgün newspaper. "Today, after seeing the announced amount, we were once again convinced of how right our decision was to not participate (in the discussions). This amount is not acceptable either for minimum wage workers, the public or us. We did not participate because we knew that a healthy amount would not come out of this structure. It seems that another adjustment of the amount will be necessary," Atalay commented.