The parties involved in the discussions will gather at the Ministry of Labor and Social Security. The commission consists of 15 representatives, made up of five labor representatives from the Confederation of Turkish Labor Unions (Türk-İş), five employer representatives from the Turkish Confederation of Employers’ Unions (TİSK) and five government representatives.
The meeting can only start if at least 10 participants are present at the discussion table and any decision requires a majority of votes in the affirmative to be effective. The employers and the employees will give their suggestions while the government will try to act as a mediator in order to reach a compromise between the participants. The decision will take into account the social and economic status of the nation, the cost of living index and the general status of those currently living on the minimum wage. If no consensus is reached at the end of the negotiations, the decision of the president of the meeting must be accepted and is binding on all participants.
Türk-İş Education Secretary Nihat Yurdakul said they expected the government to take a stance in favor of employees this year, unlike previous years. “We demand a wage that will be sufficient for living conditions which are in accordance with human dignity and that will allow workers and their families to survive,” Yurdakul noted. The minimum wage is currently TL 546.50 for an unmarried worker older than 16.
