Unions Give 24-Hour Deadline for Minimum Wage Committee

The Federation of Free Workers' Unions (Hür-İş) has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare to convene the Minimum Wage Determination Commission. If the commission is not assembled within this timeframe, the workers have warned that they will take decisive action.

Union leader Ahmet Serdaroglu stated that despite the “legal deadline having passed,” the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection has not yet taken steps to assemble the commission to establish a new minimum wage in Northern Cyprus.

Serdaroglu also noted that last week, the inflation rate for the past four months (since the last wage increase) was announced as 19.19%.

“We don’t understand what the ministry is waiting for. We are giving the Ministry of Labour 24 hours to establish a new minimum wage table. The Hür-İş Federation has decided to convene the Executive Board today at 3:30 PM to discuss what actions to take if this decision is not made,” said the union leader.

Earlier in August, the Hür-İş Federation had called on the Minimum Wage Determination Commission and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare to meet. However, no response has been received yet.

On May 21, the Commission decided to increase the net minimum wage in Northern Cyprus by 23.5% to 29,640 Turkish lira. This agreement was reached by government and worker representatives, though the employers’ side opposed the increase. There was a 10-day period for objections, and after reviewing these objections, the minimum wage was reduced by 120 lira. Currently, the minimum wage in Northern Cyprus stands at 29,520 Turkish lira.

The government had previously announced that the cost of living would be adjusted every 4 months in 2024. Therefore, the unions believe that the new minimum wage should take effect from September 1. The law specifies that the minimum wage committee can meet at least once and up to three times a year.