The Commission failed to establish a new minimum wage in Northern Cyprus

The meeting of the Minimum Wage Determination Commission concluded without reaching an agreement. The next round of negotiations is scheduled for Monday, May 20.

In his statement following the meeting, Sadiq Gardiyanoglu, the Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the TRNC, stated that no decision had been made today. The next meeting of the commission is set for Monday at 9:00 a.m.

According to local media reports, after today's meeting, the president of the Federation of Trade Unions (Hür-İş), Ahmet Serdaroglu, accused the government and employers of behind-the-scenes maneuvers.

According to the union leader, they insisted on increasing the minimum wage by 27% (equivalent to 30,480 Turkish liras net and 35,095 Turkish liras gross). Meanwhile, the employers proposed an increase of 18%, and the government proposed 23%.

Ultimately, the unions agreed to the conditions proposed by the government, but negotiations hit a deadlock again as the employers' side refused to make concessions.

"If the intentions were good, the vote would have taken place and concluded today," noted the head of Hür-İş.

Recall that the first meeting of the commission took place last Friday, May 10. At that time, the parties agreed that the upcoming new minimum wage in the TRNC would exceed the inflation rate of the last four months, which stands at 22.98%.

Additionally, an agreement was reached that the new wage would be retroactively implemented, starting from May 1.

The current minimum wage in Northern Cyprus was determined in early January 2024. As of today, it is 24,000 Turkish liras for private sector workers and 34,430 Turkish liras for civil servants.

Earlier, the Statistical Institute of the TRNC announced inflation in April at 6.91%. Compared to December of last year, prices have increased by 22.98%, with annual inflation reaching 95.60%.

Meanwhile, the Cyprus and Turkey Civil Servants Union (KTAMS) announced that the poverty line for a family of four as of April 30 is 23,559 Turkish liras.

Read also: History of changes in the minimum wage in Northern Cyprus