CHP Leader Özel pushes for 39,000 TL minimum wage: “Anything below is unacceptable”

Summary

At a rally held in Güngören as part of weekly demonstrations supporting jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, CHP Chair Özgür Özel announced the party’s minimum wage stance for 2025, arguing that the “deserved minimum” is 39,000 TL, significantly above the current 22,000 TL level. Özel claimed that wage earners face deep income erosion amid rising living costs, high housing prices and insufficient fiscal support, positioning the proposal as a response to poverty, cost-of-living pressures and widening inequality.

CHP rallies behind İmamoğlu as wage policy takes center stage

Speaking at the 73rd “Protect National Will” rally, Özel said the cost of living crisis has pushed households to the brink, noting that the hunger line has climbed to 30,000 TL while the poverty line stands near 97,000 TL.

“Minimum wage workers cannot survive. Our proposal is 39,000 TL — this is the floor. We will not accept less,” he said.

Özel framed the policy as a relief measure, saying the wage target would “not solve everything but would allow workers to breathe,” urging the government to step in as employer and regulator.

Cost-of-living pressures remain severe

Özel criticised government economic management, citing:

• Housing prices in Istanbul rising sharply

• Public employees unable to afford rent despite early-career severance rights

• Erosion of purchasing power in gold and agricultural terms

• Limited fiscal room for low-income households vs. tax concessions for large capital

He noted that minimum wage once bought “seven quarters of gold,” now only “two,” while farmers need more output to cover energy and fuel expenses.

Özel also pointed to a 768-billion-TL shortfall in expected taxes from wealthier groups, framing it as a sign of distributive imbalance.

Labour, farmers, pensioners and youth named as priority groups

Özel pledged party support for workers, public employees, teachers, students and pensioners, saying economic recovery must include income justice rather than sector-isolated gains.

He argued that social protection, wage policy and labour rights must evolve together, adding that local administrations have become critical support hubs for people with disabilities due to insufficient central provisions.

A broader economic message: equality, redistribution and wage-driven recovery

Özel told the crowd that Turkey’s recovery must be inclusive:

“There is no salvation alone — we rise together,” he said.

He called for workers to push collectively for fair pay, portraying upcoming policy decisions as a defining moment for income distribution. The speech positioned minimum wage policy as the core economic battle of the coming period.

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