Chairman of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) Ozgür Ozer recently visited Chairman of the Aegean Municipalities Union Ferdi Zeyrek during a day-long contact sphere in Izmir.
Speaking during his visit, CHP leader Ezer focused on the economy.
While criticising the inadequacy of holiday pay given to retirees, Ezer also delivered a stern message about the temporary increase in the minimum wage at the end of June.
“I can do it alone, but…”
Referring to the elections of the Aegean Municipalities Union and the Turkish Municipalities Union, Ozgür Ozer stressed the “democratic and participatory governance” and said:
“The Aegean Municipalities Union is a union that was established in Izmir in 1986 and moved its headquarters to Manisa in 1994. As a mayor of the Republican People’s Party, it is a great honor to be recognized as worthy of this position by my party. Let me speak to the Aegean mayors…
The fact that there was a consensus in the elections and all the municipalities, big cities and local governments are with the CHP is a very pleasing situation. The CHP has grown from being only on the coast to having all the municipalities in the Aegean and 65 percent of the population being governed by CHP municipalities. Ekrem Imamoglu won the Turkish Municipal Union elections. So we made them a proposal that was different from what the AK Party and MHP had done in the past. We said, “Let’s allow everyone to express themselves in their own way.”
But they made the list themselves. We won the management of the municipal alliance with the Grand Alliance that we established with the İYİ Party, the Rewelfare Party, and the Giant Party. We could have fought alone, but we support pluralism. While governing, we will adopt a management approach where everyone benefits from these opportunities according to their strength, rather than mobilizing the municipal alliance resources only for the People’s Alliance, as the AK Party did.
“The situation that has arisen today is extremely fatal for them.”
“We nominated Mansur Yavash as chairman of the Turkish Union of Historic Cities and Municipalities, where the Republican People’s Party failed to win a majority. The results have just come out. I evaluate this result with great satisfaction. With a total of 424 deputies, Mansur Bey was elected president with 495 votes, while his opponent Mehmet Ozturk received 221 votes, 216 less than the votes of the AKP-MHP Grand Unity Party.
Since the AKP candidate fell 12 votes short in the past few days, we have followed with caution and trepidation the approach of finding defectors from the AKP, expelling them from the party, holding them accountable, etc., but today, the People’s Alliance is acting in concert with the AKP. The AKP, MHP, and Grand Unity Party received a total of 437 votes, 221 votes needed, 216 votes less. This shows the mess on the other side and how things are going well on this side. But here we said to them, please come with us, but they did not accept. So it’s not just some of them. But those who could not understand our offer to share. They trusted the majority.
But the situation that has emerged there today is very sad for them. We will govern in the most fair way. We will ensure that everyone benefits according to their capabilities, without alienating members of the AK Party and the MHP. The new organization formed by SODEMCEN and SODEM is coordinating the Social Democratic Municipalities and the CHP, but we are going to provide very important work, coordination, supervision and training through the Municipal Union and all these regional unions. The educational institutions that we manage are rapidly becoming the best educational institutions in Turkey. I believe this union will achieve great things. “
“The poor are getting poorer”
Referring to economic policies, Ezell stressed that the economic policies implemented have made the poor poorer, saying:
“The country’s agenda includes public holidays. Unfortunately, since Eid, ticket prices for bus transport between Izmir and Istanbul have doubled. We are facing a situation where family reunions, student trips, and returning to hometowns are impossible. We are faced with a government that cannot solve, let alone resolve, these problems in Turkey and always blames the same groups. The solution is actually very simple.
To blame those who paid these exchange-protected deposits, instead of taking a penny from those who made the most on exchange-protected deposits in the past period, those who got the $1.2 trillion transferred from the Treasury in the past period, or those who cashed in the exchange-protected deposits. To take qualified loans from the Credit Guarantee Fund for real estate, luxury cars, and yachts, and to rip off the workers, with no pay raises for workers or retirees, and no raises for farmers. For wheat that was given 8.5 liras last year, it is given 9.5 liras this year. It is unfair to give a 12 percent raise when inflation is 80 percent and input cost inflation is 120 percent. And when these people cry, “We can’t get along,” it doesn’t mean their voices are not heard.
They will be given a severance pay of 3,000 lira for their upcoming vacation. When they received their severance pay in 2018, they received 24 kilos of minced meat, but now they are given 5.5 kilos of minced meat. They bought a coach with the severance pay given to them back then, but now they cannot even buy a fifth of a coach with their severance pay, and while in 2022 they will be able to buy two rams with the lowest pension, now they cannot even buy a skinny coach. The voices of these retirees need to be heard. “In the meetings with Erdogan in the coming days, it is necessary to understand that the way out of this great economic crisis is not to impose further burdens on the victims of the crisis, but to demand something from the winners of the economic crisis,” he said. “We need to understand that the way out of this great economic crisis is not to impose further burdens on the victims of the crisis, but to demand something from the winners of the economic crisis, which is not the same as past crises.”
“For those of you who are considering the minimum wage increase at the end of June…”
Finally, Ezell spoke clearly about the temporary increase in the minimum wage, stating:
“If Turkey had followed the European Court of Human Rights’ decision with democratic will, and there was legal predictability, permanent investments from all over the world would have attracted Turkey, but today hot money is flowing in, attracting interest and volleying. But we are becoming poorer day by day. Here we once again raise a strong objection from the Izmir side. Those who are considering not raising the minimum wage at the end of June should think again. We will give a clear and tough response to this. No one should even think about not updating the minimum wage.”
We need to update the minimum wage in line with the rise in inflation, while taking special measures to support small traders, some small and medium-sized enterprises and some exporters who will be hit by the increase in the minimum wage. But we cannot push the burden of the crisis that we ourselves created onto workers, retirees and traders. The wheat reference price will be updated to 15 liras and the tea reference price to 25 liras, and we expect these decisions to be announced as soon as possible. We expect that the salaries of retirees will be at the lowest at the minimum wage level and that the minimum wage will be increased in line with inflation. It is those who did not do these things that have made this country unviable. We are hearing the voices of those whose lives cannot be made. We are determined to announce it. “
