Selami Şimşek, a 71-year-old pensioner, died after falling from the sixth floor of a construction site in central Yozgat province where he was working illegally, the TR724 news website reported, citing the Health and Safety Labor Watch (İSİG).
Şimşek is among many pensioners forced to work illegally due to the soaring cost of living. While monthly pensions currently stand at 14,500 Turkish lira (around $450), the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (TÜRK-İŞ) reports that the poverty threshold for a family of four is 81,686 TL, making it nearly impossible for retirees to survive on their pensions alone.
Many retirees were forced into menial jobs for which they lacked the necessary skills or training, and their advanced age often made even basic tasks physically challenging.
One of them was 78-year-old Cengiz Kabak, who died in November 2024 after falling while working as a night guard at a construction site in Istanbul.
Celal Yıldırım, 74, died in July 2024 after being buried under debris while repairing a burst water pipe. He, too, was working a side job because as a father of three he was unable to make ends meet.
Ayhan Kurt, 60, died when a load of glass being moved by crane at a glass factory collapsed on him. Like the others, he was retired but had continued working.
