TURKEY: Calls for a Minimum Wage Raise & more – 10th June 2025

Merhaba from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Turkey Update from the 10th of June twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Turkey.

On Monday the 9th, Nezih Allıoğlu, the head of the Young Entrepreneurs and Governance Association, called for a mid-year minimum wage increase in July. This request was surprising, as it came from an employer representative. Typically, such calls come from unions and labor groups.

Allıoğlu highlighted the challenges low-income groups, small businesses, and the self-employed face due to rising costs. He added that these people have limited access to credit because of high interest rates, and emphasized the need for measures to support these groups and maintain economic and social balance.

In the past few years, the country increased salaries twice a year to help workers keep up with rising prices. However, the government had said that this year it would raise them only once.

On Monday the 9th, Israeli naval forces intercepted Madleen, an aid ship, in international waters as it sailed toward Gaza. The vessel, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, carried international activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and several Turkish citizens. Israel redirected the ship to one of its ports, saying it had enforced a naval blockade.

On the same day, the Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the interception. Officials called it a clear violation of international law and said it proved Israel acted like a terror state by blocking aid and using hunger as a weapon. They warned the attack would not silence global calls for justice in Gaza.

A new slogan on the billboards of the ruling Justice and Development Party or AKP sparked backlash within the party. The posters showed President Erdoğan with the phrase “Our name is brotherhood, our surname is Turkey.” Ahmet Özer, the jailed mayor of Esenyurt from the Republican People’s Party or CHP, had already used that slogan during the local elections last year. The Peace Party also used a similar line in nineteen ninety-six.

After these links came out, party members turned their anger toward Faruk Acar, the official handling publicity, and some demanded his resignation.

On that note about the CHP, on Monday the 9th, a leaked phone call recording between Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the former CHP leader, and Ekrem İmamoğlu, the imprisoned Istanbul Mayor and the party’s presidential candidate, sparked controversy. The recording suggests İmamoğlu advised Kılıçdaroğlu on how to withdraw from the twenty twenty-four leadership race appropriately while facing pressure to step down during the party’s 38th Ordinary Congress. An investigation is underway into alleged irregularities at the congress.

Some accuse İmamoğlu of pressuring Kılıçdaroğlu, while allies argue the audio is a one-sided, possibly illegal recording aimed at damaging İmamoğlu. Nevertheless, the leak raised doubts about İmamoğlu’s transparency and pointed out internal power struggles and backroom deals, possibly weakening his position ahead of upcoming elections.

Speaking of İmamoğlu, on Tuesday the 10th, journalist Timur Soykan reported that the Culture and Tourism Ministry allegedly blocked several artists from performing at summer concerts in the ancient theater of Ephesus in the western city of İzmir.

Prominent artists like Yalın, Sertab Erener, and Hadise had received written approval in May for their concerts in July. However, organizers say officials later called and told them to remove these names, even though tickets had sold out in hours.

The ban was called into question as Soykan linked it to these artists’ past support for İmamoğlu and their criticism of his conviction and the detention of students who protested it, raising concerns about whether political views now influence who gets to perform.

In some tragic news, on Monday the 9th, Ferdi Zeyrek, the mayor of the northern city of Manisa, died in the hospital after suffering a strong electric shock while checking his home’s pool equipment three days earlier. His daughter had suggested someone may have tampered with the electrical system or voltage settings, and pointed out the pool lacked a safety device that stops electrical leaks.

On Sunday the 8th, the Chamber of Electrical Engineers said a team found rust in the wiring and serious problems with the pool’s electrical setup, and that’s why the safety devices didn’t work. The Chamber will release a full report on the accident soon.

Last week, the Muslim world celebrated the Feast of Sacrifice. Ahead of the fest, the government set up extra radar checkpoints across the country to prevent accidents and improve road safety. But during the holiday, these increased radar checks and speeding fines sparked major frustration among drivers.

With some checkpoints hidden behind trees or blind sports (which is illegal), many on social media said they felt caught in a “fine trap”, arguing that the checkpoints seemed more focused on collecting money than improving road safety, with some drivers receiving multiple tickets that quickly added up to thousands of liras. Satirical news site Zaytung even joked that radar fines now bring in more money than the Finance Minister.

On Friday the 7th, the ruling AKP’s top officials discussed these complaints in a key meeting. They said the fines should be reviewed carefully, with some members suggesting a full reexamination of the penalty amounts.

On Monday the 9th, İstanbul surprised early commuters with nearly empty roads, just as the Sacrifice Feast holiday ended. Normally packed with traffic at the beginning of the workweek, the city stayed calm instead.

Data from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality showed traffic congestion dropped to just 2% on Monday, compared to the average 70%, even in typically busy areas, since many residents remained outside the city, as some public offices and private companies extended the holiday break through Monday. The quiet streets offered a rare and welcome change for those still in town.

More on transportation. On Monday the 9th, an Anadolu Agency report highlighted the western city of İzmir’s bicycle traffic police, known as the White Swallows, who have kept bike paths safe and orderly for eleven years.

The team started in twenty fourteen along the Bostanlı-Karşıyaka coast and now patrols nearly forty kilometers, around twenty-five miles. The Deputy Police Chief said that over the past ten years, bike use has been rising, complaints about cars in bike lanes have decreased, while children are learning road safety early.

İzmir is one of the few Turkish cities investing in real bike infrastructure, aligning with its EU-backed goal to be carbon-neutral by twenty thirty. Encouraging cycling over driving helps cut emissions and build a cleaner, healthier city.

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Meanwhile, on the same day, mounted gendarmerie teams began patrolling the Ayvalık district, the tourism highlight of the northwestern city of Balıkesir, for the summer season. The mounted unit rides through busy beaches and forest trails with three horses. Their mission runs through September and aims to keep public spaces safe and orderly for holidaygoers.

Turkey’s two major exams are coming up—the High School Entrance Exam on Sunday the 15th, and the Higher Education Exam on Saturday the 21st and Sunday the 22nd.

Experts told students that now’s the time to go over practice questions they got wrong rather than try to learn new topics. They also suggest keeping routines steady, getting enough sleep, eating light meals, and doing timed practice.

They advised families to offer calm encouragement, not pressure, adding that the key is steady effort and emotional balance—not last-minute stress.

Still on education, on Tuesday the 10th, the Ministry of National Education launched a new pilot project to reduce absenteeism in primary schools across seventeen provinces. In partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund, the three-year plan will track students at risk of dropping out and create local strategies to keep them in school.

The ministry will monitor absence data through the e-Okul system, a state-run platform to monitor school data, and each region’s specific needs will guide the response. A new online tracking tool, along with training for teachers and families, will help schools respond more effectively.

Finally, health experts are reporting a seasonal rise in tick bites across İstanbul, especially in parks, forests, and picnic areas. They advise checking for ticks after spending time outdoors and keeping clear of grassy areas.

Stray animals, which often roam these green spaces and aren’t regularly treated, can help ticks spread more easily. Tick bites can carry diseases such as Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, so early detection and simple precautions are important throughout the summer.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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