This photo taken with mobile phone on May 11, 2023 shows election campaign posters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Kemal Kilicdaroglu in Ankara, Türkiye. As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seeks re-election in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14, he faces a competitive campaign against opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu. (Xinhua/Li Zhenbei)
ANKARA, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Thursday a wage increase for civil servants in the second half of 2023.
Speaking at a trade union rally, Erdogan said that the lowest salary for civil servants would be adjusted to match the minimum wage for public workers, namely those who are employed by state-owned enterprises and public institutions such as hospitals and schools.
Erdogan revealed that the government plans to raise the minimum monthly salary for civil servants to 15,000 Turkish liras (approximately 767 U.S. dollars), aligning it with the rate for public workers.
This adjustment is expected to bring the approximate lowest monthly income for civil servants to 22,000 liras, including welfare benefits, the president added.
The wage hike is scheduled to take effect in July, providing much-needed relief to civil servants. Earlier this month, Erdogan had already announced a 45 percent wage increase for 700,000 public workers, elevating the minimum monthly wage to 15,000 liras.
As Erdogan seeks re-election in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14, he faces a competitive campaign against opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Kilicdaroglu has pledged to improve living standards and social conditions for households impacted by high inflation.
Turkey has been grappling with rampant inflation, leading to a surge in commodity prices in recent years. The rising cost of living has posed challenges for the country's population. ■
This photo taken with mobile phone on May 11, 2023 shows election campaign posters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Kemal Kilicdaroglu in Ankara, Türkiye. As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seeks re-election in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14, he faces a competitive campaign against opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu. (Xinhua/Li Zhenbei)