reports in ECONOMY category

Union leader arrested amid Antep labor protests

Union leader arrested amid Antep labor protests

Mehmet Türkmen's arrest comes amid protests by textile workers in Antep over disputes regarding low wage increases.

17 February 2025

Thousands of KFC, Pizza Hut workers in Turkey unpaid amid debt restructuring

Thousands of KFC, Pizza Hut workers in Turkey unpaid amid debt restructuring

Workers have started protests in various cities demanding their receivables.

11 February 2025 Abbas Vural

Turkey’s unemployment rate drops to 8.5% in December

Turkey’s unemployment rate drops to 8.5% in December

The labor underutilization rate remained unchanged at 28.2%.

10 February 2025

Turkey's inflation surpasses expectations in January

Turkey's inflation surpasses expectations in January

The inflation rate rose by 5.03% in the last month.

3 February 2025

Share of working class in Turkey’s population grows over 50 years while unionization declines

Share of working class in Turkey’s population grows over 50 years while unionization declines

According to the latest statistics, the number of registered workers in Turkey reached 16 million in 2024. Including unregistered labor, the total workforce in the 2020s is estimated to be around 22-24 million, making up nearly 28% of the population. However, the unionization rate has dropped to half of its 1970s level of 25-30%, now standing at 15%.

29 January 2025

Public transport fares go up by 35% in Istanbul

Public transport fares go up by 35% in Istanbul

The 35% increase will impact 7 million people who use public transport in Istanbul.

15 January 2025

18 detentions in street protest against new low minimum wage

18 detentions in street protest against new low minimum wage

Members of the Hakkımı Ver [‘Give Me My Right’] Platform marched against the announcement of the new minimum wage which rose at a lower rate than annual inflation. Workers, opening a banner on İstiklal Street, the main thoroughfare of the central Beyoğlu district, shouted the slogan “Let’s see Vedat (Işıkhan, Minister of Labour and Social Security) live on this minimum wage” and were detained.

25 December 2024

Price of raw milk increases by 49% in a year

Price of raw milk increases by 49% in a year

he average annual milk equivalent consumption per capita in Turkey was about 253 kilograms in 2022, close to European countries.

18 December 2024

Turkey’s finance minister signals above-inflation raise for minimum wage

Turkey’s finance minister signals above-inflation raise for minimum wage

Mehmet Şimşek's statements fueled expectations that the government could make a higher increase to the minimum wage.

17 December 2024

Strike bans affected over 200,000 workers in Turkey during Erdoğan's rule

Strike bans affected over 200,000 workers in Turkey during Erdoğan's rule

In two decades, the government postponed 21 strikes, affecting over 200,000 workers.

16 December 2024

Metal workers defy Erdoğan’s strike ban after failed negotiations

Metal workers defy Erdoğan’s strike ban after failed negotiations

About 1,500 workers working at several factories continue their strike despite a presidential decree.

16 December 2024

Turkey’s underemployment reaches highest level in nearly four years

Turkey’s underemployment reaches highest level in nearly four years

The labor underutilization rate has reached 27.6% in October, up by 1.9 points in a month.

11 December 2024

Turkey’s inflation drops slightly to 47.09% in November

Turkey’s inflation drops slightly to 47.09% in November

The decline fell short of expectations considering the Central Bank’s year-end forecast of 44%.

3 December 2024

Two million children in Turkey in ‘absolute poverty’

Two million children in Turkey in ‘absolute poverty’

This figure means that about one in every 10 children in the country lives in a state of absolute poverty, according to a TEPAV study.

15 November 2024

Murat İnceoğlu

Treasury covered social security premiums for TurkStat personnel, audit finds

Treasury covered social security premiums for TurkStat personnel, audit finds

While the labor minister complains about opposition municipalities not paying premiums for their personnel, the Court of Accounts report has revealed the Turkish statistical authority also failed to make these payments.

14 November 2024 Murat İnceoğlu

Turkey’s unemployment rate steady at 8.6% in September

Turkey’s unemployment rate steady at 8.6% in September

The unemployment rate stood at 8.6% and the labor underutilization rate at 25.6%

11 November 2024

Onur Hamzaoğlu

Turkey’s 2025 budget as an indicator of class struggle

Turkey’s 2025 budget as an indicator of class struggle

The general budget also serves as a document reflecting the state of class struggle in capitalist societies.

2 November 2024 Onur Hamzaoğlu

Economists urge government to base minimum wage raise on actual inflation

Economists urge government to base minimum wage raise on actual inflation

Amid signs that the government will likely refrain from a substantial increase, 118 economists have warned in a joint statement that high inflation is making minimum wage earners increasingly vulnerable.

30 October 2024

Prospects dim for Turkey's workers ahead of minimum wage raise

Prospects dim for Turkey's workers ahead of minimum wage raise

The draft budget suggests a 17% hike, aligning with the 2025 year-end inflation forecast, according to an economist. This approach follows the IMF recommendation to adjust the minimum wage based not on past inflation rates but on a future-oriented basis.

25 October 2024

Turkey’s interest rate surpasses inflation for the first time in three years

Turkey’s interest rate surpasses inflation for the first time in three years

The Central Bank kept the policy rate unchanged at 50% while the official inflation rate dropped below this rate for the first time in 14 months.

17 October 2024

Layoffs, workplace harassment follow deadly explosion at Sakarya pasta factory

Layoffs, workplace harassment follow deadly explosion at Sakarya pasta factory

Five workers were killed in the September explosion in the factory in northwestern Turkey. While an investigation into the incident is still underway, the Oba Makarna company has reportedly downsized its quality control department and workers are facing implicit blame for the blast.

15 October 2024 Hikmet Adal

Turkey's labor underutilization rate exceeds 27% in August

Turkey's labor underutilization rate exceeds 27% in August

While the unemployment rate decreased slightly, the labor underutilization rate increased according to the official figures. The finance minister says the outlook is positive despite challenges.

10 October 2024

At least 152 workers killed on the job in September

At least 152 workers killed on the job in September

The government has disclosed the number of work-related fatalities for the first time in a decade. Its figures were higher than what İSİG could identify.

Turkey’s inflation exceeds expectations in September

Turkey’s inflation exceeds expectations in September

The rising inflation dampens expectations of a central bank interest rate cut in the near future.

Are couriers dangerous, or is the courier profession itself?

Are couriers dangerous, or is the courier profession itself?

By disregarding the principle of objectivity and honesty in journalism, associating couriers only with negative incidents and treating isolated cases as if they were widespread could create deep distrust in society toward the motorcycle courier profession and those who work in it.

29 September 2024 Mesut Çeki

Minister provides conflicting figures on child worker deaths in vocational education program

Minister provides conflicting figures on child worker deaths in vocational education program

While the education minister claimed no incidents caused loss of life in the last two years, contradicting an earlier statement from him, a watchdog organization was able to identify nine fatalities.

21 September 2024 Hikmet Adal

Couriers in Turkey build solidarity and protest networks through digital means

Couriers in Turkey build solidarity and protest networks through digital means

WhatsApp groups, used by hundreds of thousands of couriers to organize solidarity and protests, have become a major worry for employers, who continuously attempt to disrupt these activities.

16 September 2024 Mesut Çeki

IndustriALL Global Union intervenes in labor dispute at YKK Turkey

IndustriALL Global Union intervenes in labor dispute at YKK Turkey

After a union managed to organize the majority of the workers, the fastener manufacturer allegedly pressured workers to resign from the union.

6 September 2024

Turkey's inflation rate slows in August, education costs surge

Turkey's inflation rate slows in August, education costs surge

The annual inflation rate was 51.97% according to official statistics while an alternative calculation indicates 90.35%.

3 September 2024

Turkey’s growth slows as increase expected in unemployment

Turkey’s growth slows as increase expected in unemployment

"The government's focus on taming inflation at the expense of wages and purchasing power has backfired," said DİSK-AR.

2 September 2024

Union exposes dangerous conditions at mine owned by ruling party MP

Union exposes dangerous conditions at mine owned by ruling party MP

The company dismissed several workers due to union activities.

2 September 2024

Ankara high-speed train station falls far short of passenger guarantees

Ankara high-speed train station falls far short of passenger guarantees

The 64% shortfall from the target will cost the Treasury over 67 million dollars in the most recet example of public-private partnership projects where actual usage failed to meet guaranteed levels.