AKP Camp Closes Door on Mid-Year Minimum Wage Hike

The ruling AKP’s three-day strategy camp in Kızılcahamam placed the İmralı process and the country’s worsening economic outlook at the top of its agenda. While the public continues to grapple with soaring inflation and rising debt levels, discussions around a possible mid-year raise in the minimum wage were notably shut down by the government.

Despite growing speculation, neither President Erdoğan nor the economic team offered clear statements, signaling that no additional wage hike will be introduced in the short term.

No Room for Mid-Year Adjustment

Throughout the camp, AKP’s economic management team, including Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek, avoided any indication of a mid-year minimum wage adjustment—a policy previously applied in exceptional inflationary periods.

However, with inflation eroding purchasing power and household debt on the rise, public pressure for relief is mounting. Many citizens had hoped for a wage update, especially after civil servants and retirees received semi-annual adjustments.

MPs Urge Regular Hikes Like Public Sector

During the closed-door economic briefings, several AKP lawmakers reportedly conveyed the growing discontent among constituents. They suggested that minimum wage workers should benefit from the same biannual increase system applied to public employees and pensioners.

“The current system leaves the lowest earners behind. Semi-annual revisions must be considered,” said one MP, reflecting concerns from local outreach.

Ali Ağaoğlu and Broader Discontent

Even pro-government figures such as businessman Ali Ağaoğlu reportedly expressed frustration with the government’s economic stance and Minister Şimşek’s policies, though no official statement was made.

The camp revealed a widening gap between grassroots realities and government messaging, especially in the face of persistently high inflation and public demands for immediate economic relief.