The minimum wage, which has become a widespread and average wage, was defeated by hunger and poverty before it even reached people’s pockets. While 63 out of 100 workers earn wages close to the minimum wage, organised labourers earn twice as much as non-union workers.
The AKP government has once again pushed millions of citizens who live on their labour below the hunger threshold into a life of destitution. The minimum wage rise, which has the power to directly affect around 18 million private sector workers and their families and indirectly affect those living on monthly pay and salaries, fell below the hunger threshold on the very day it was announced for the first time in its history.
What is most striking about the wage imposed at an anti-democratic table through government-capital cooperation is how widespread it has become in the country.
Last year, in line with guidance from international financial circles and the IMF, minimum wage earners effectively faced a negative rise on the grounds of aligning with target inflation. This year, they lived through the same scenario without any compensation. The minimum wage, turned into a widespread and average wage through the government’s policies, was pushed down in real terms every year through austerity policies.
DİSK-AR’s 2026 Minimum Wage Report, published last month, once again laid this picture bare. 53.2% of workers are forced to survive on the minimum wage. According to the report, 8,359,000 people, corresponding to 46.7% of workers, are forced to live on income at or below the minimum wage. 63 out of every 100 workers are employed on wages at or below 20% above the minimum wage while the share of those earning more than twice the minimum wage remains only 12.7%.
When wage proximity, covering 5%, 10% or 20% above and below the minimum wage, is taken into account, nearly all workers are employed on wages below the poverty line. Among women pushed out of the labour force and those working informally, the share on the minimum wage reaches the 90%s. While 85.3% of informal workers earn income at or below 5% above the minimum wage, the share working in the vicinity of the minimum wage rises to 91.7% among uninsured workers.
Retirees, who stand out in informal work, are also pushed into uninsured employment due to the squeeze created by low pensions. Older people who should be resting are made to work for amounts that do not even reach the minimum wage. For women workers, the minimum wage has almost turned into a fixed wage. According to the report’s findings, 60.1% of women work at or below the minimum wage while 4.1 million women workers can reach only 10% above the minimum wage.
The 2024 labour cost data announced yesterday by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) also once again revealed the level of wages. According to the data, which determines the employer cost of worker wages, the average monthly labour cost last year was 45,777 TL. This amount includes employer-paid insurance premiums. Wages said to be “unaffordable for employers in case of an increase” are paid at this level. While the monthly labour cost was 26,047 TL in construction, one of the country’s fastest-growing sectors, it was calculated as 29,460 TL in accommodation and food services. The sector with the highest labour cost was financial and insurance activities, at 119,868 TL.
The data also showed the gains of organised workers. Accordingly, the average labour cost of 45,777 lira was calculated for workplaces without a collective bargaining agreement (TİS) signed with unions. Organised, unionised and contracted workers earned nearly twice that. In workplaces with a TİS, labour cost was identified as 81,539 lira, 1.8 times the average.
The new minimum wage, which cannot even cover a month of healthy and balanced nutrition spending for a family of four, did not come close to the poverty line. Workers and pensioners were left to poverty.
* Food poverty: With a minimum wage that cannot even cover a basic food basket, it is not possible to feel full even when spending only on kitchen shopping. According to TÜİK data, meat is not cooked even once a week in one in four households; in one in ten households, children are deprived of eating fresh fruit and vegetables even once a day. It is expected that the poverty reflected in these rates in the 2024 data will deepen further in the new year.
* In-work poverty: According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), 6.4% of workers worldwide experience in-work poverty. According to Türk-İş, the amount a worker living alone needs in November to sustain life, get to and from work throughout the month, secure housing and eat was calculated as 38,752 lira. The new minimum wage, which will only reach pockets in February, meets only 72% of this amount. Even if the amount stays fixed in 2026 when the new minimum wage will be applied, a worker will be able to cover housing, food and transport for only 21 days with their wage.
* Urban poverty: According to İstanbul Planning Agency (İPA), urban poverty refers to the deprivations of people living in urban areas arising from economic, social and physical conditions. According to İPA, a household of four needs 106,034 lira to be able to live in İstanbul. Even when both adults in the household work, minimum wage households cannot meet this amount. For a worker living alone to be able to live in İstanbul, at least 36,984 lira is needed. While this amount changes neighbourhood by neighbourhood depending on housing costs, transport and food costs in metropolitan areas also lead to deprivation.
* Energy poverty: In homes, even the energy needed to heat and cook can no longer be used. It is estimated that one in five households in Turkey is energy poor. More than 4.5 million households and more than 20 million citizens cannot survive without social assistance. While more than 1.6 million households cannot heat without coal aid, a total of 4 million households rely on social assistance for electricity and natural gas.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Ücret zincirlerini örgütlülük kırar, published in BirGün newspaper on December 26, 2025.
