A proposal came from MHP, stating that retirees cannot make ends meet and the increases in the minimum wage are insufficient.

Recently, during the budget discussions of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey's Planning and Budget Commission, remarkable suggestions regarding retirees and minimum wage came from MHP.

MHP Deputy Chairman, Planning and Budget Commission member, Konya Deputy Mustafa Kalaycı pointed out that pensions are a source of income for more than 17 million people today, and 5.1 million people receive the lowest pension.

'THEY HAVE A STRUGGLE TO MAKE A MIND'

Kalaycı pointed out that many retirees cannot make ends meet with the pension they receive and that they have difficulty making ends meet, and reminded that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that the regulation envisaging improvements in pensions will be made by the end of the year.

Kalaycı said, "As MHP, we are of the opinion that the regulation that will increase the pensions and eliminate the inequalities between the pensions, based on the number of premium payment days and the amount of premiums paid, should be made first. In addition, we believe that regulations will be made that will reduce the number of Bağ-Kur premium days to 7 thousand 200, give 3 thousand 600 additional indicators to first-degree civil servants, and grant retirement rights to housewives with premium support."

JUSTIFIED COMPLAINTS

Kalaycı said that today, there are legitimate complaints from retirees saying, "I paid more premiums, but I receive approximately the same pension as those who paid less premiums."

Pointing out that the conditions for granting a pension in the social security system have been changed at least 9 times since 1950, Kalaycı said, "It is against the spirit of the social insurance system to pay the same amounts of pension to the insured who have fewer premium days and paid premiums, and to the insured who have more premium days and paid premiums. The adjustment regulation that will eliminate the inequalities between existing pensions by taking into account the premium-salary balance should be made gradually, and the update coefficient and monthly pension rates in pension granting should be reviewed." "We see," he said.

'IT SHOULD BE DONE ACCORDING TO THE SAME PRINCIPLES'

According to the legislation, civil servant pensions are determined according to the civil servant collective agreement.

The increase in the salaries of workers and Bağ-Kur retirees is made in January and July according to the inflation of the past 6 months. Kalaycı made a remarkable statement in this regard. Kalaycı, who wants the monthly increases of all retirees to be made according to the same principles, said:

"Due to the fact that civil servant pension and SSK and Bağ-Kur pension pension increases are subject to different provisions, different rates arise in each salary increase period. We are of the opinion that uniformity of norms and standards should be ensured in all respects among the insured, that the salary increases of all retirees should be determined according to the same principles, and that the increases in pensions should be made according to a special index that takes into account the consumption patterns and living standards of this segment, instead of the general inflation index."

MINIMUM WAGE IS ALSO INSUFFICIENT