Retirees Will Walk to Ankara with Request for Additional Raise

Retirees will meet in Ankara, departing from different parts of Turkey. The march, which will start on April 15, will end with a rally to be held in Ankara Anıt Park on April 16.

All Pensioners' Union and the Pensioners' Solidarity Union took action with the demand for an additional raise in pensions at a humanely livable level, the withdrawal of the hikes in basic consumer goods, and the removal of obstacles to the organization of pensioners' unions. The Black Sea branch of the march, in which the democratic mass organizations and the public were invited, will start from Hopa, the Mediterranean branch from Mersin and Antalya, the Aegean branch from İzmir, the Marmara branch from Istanbul and the Central Anatolian branch from Kayseri.

'IT'S ENOUGH'

All Pensioners' Union, which says that retirees can no longer bear to live in hunger Kadıköy Branch President Hıdır Kurtulmaz gave the following information:

“We retirees are not on the border of hunger, we are on the border of death. It's enough. 13 million of more than 8 million retirees in our country receive a monthly salary of less than 3 thousand liras. In our country, where the minimum wage is 4 thousand 258 lira, the hunger limit is 5 thousand lira, and the poverty line is 16 thousand lira, there are retirees who barely get half of the hunger limit. The hikes in electricity, fuel oil and basic consumer goods, especially natural gas, which is the most important expense of the winter season since the New Year, has made it a miracle that we can even breathe, let alone make a living. The money given before the religious holiday twice a year under the name of holiday bonus has turned into holiday allowance.

RETIRED'S REQUESTS

• The minimum pension should be 5 thousand 200 TL, and as of January 1, 2022, pensions should be increased by at least 60 percent.
• The number of bonuses given twice a year should be increased to four and bonuses should be equal to one salary.
• Contributions from health services should be abolished, health services should be completely free.
• Since the beginning of the year, the hikes in basic consumer goods, especially electricity, natural gas and fuel oil, should be withdrawn.
• All obstacles to the exercise of our union rights must be removed. (Source: Newspaper Wall)