Turkey’s poverty line has risen to 65,874 lira ($1,993), as millions in the country struggle to make ends meet on a minimum wage of 17,002 lira ($514), according to a report released by the United Metal Workers Union (BİSAM), an affiliate of the Revolutionary Workers Confederation (DİSK), Turkish Minute reported.
The poverty line refers to the total amount a family of four needs to live without feeling deprived of food and the money required to pay other expenses such as rent and utilities.
BİSAM’s report for the month of June revealed the wide discrepancy between Turkey’s minimum wage, which has also been surpassed by the hunger line, and the poverty line.
In June the amount needed for a family of four to maintain a healthy and balanced diet — referred to as the hunger line — also increased, reaching 19,044 lira ($576), the BİSAM report revealed on Monday. The organization determines the poverty line based on various factors including education, health, housing, entertainment, heating and transportation costs, representing the necessary expenditures a family incurs to avoid deprivation.
According to BİSAM’s calculations, the poverty line for a person living alone was 30,604 lira ($925) in June.
For a healthy diet, an adult person has to spend at least 174 lira daily on milk and dairy products, 133 lira for meat and 168 lira for fruits and vegetables, the report said.
The amount of money an adult male has to spend during a month for a healthy and balanced diet is 5,330 lira, while it is 5,056 lira for an adult woman, 5,336 lira for teenagers aged 15-18 and 3,323 lira for children aged 4-6.
BİSAM’s findings come at a time when the Turkish government announced its plans not to make an interim increase in the minimum wage despite the high inflation, which stood at over 70 percent in June.
Labor Minister Vedat Işıkhan last month ruled out an interim increase in the minimum wage for the second half of 2024, maintaining the government’s position that frequent wage hikes could exacerbate inflation.
Labor unions say wage earners cannot be made to suffer from the consequences of high inflation and that the government should seek other ways to curb inflation rather than depriving laborers of an increase in wages.
Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek also sparked controversy earlier this month by claiming that Turkey’s minimum wage is the highest among developing countries, a statement met with skepticism by labor groups.
