TURKEY: Pensioners & more – 28th May 2024

Merhaba from BA! This is the Rorshok Turkey Update from the 28th of May twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Turkey.

On Thursday the 23rd, pensioners slammed the Labor and Social Security Ministry's offer of free summer stays at state-run dormitories and a 15% discount at public guesthouses, accusing them of being insensitive to their financial struggles. They argue that they can't afford vacations or daily expenses, even with free accommodation. Retirees were expecting a pension increase, as promised in January, but felt disappointed by the announcement. Despite a 33% increase in pension in January, many retirees have pensions below minimum wage (520 Dollars), and their buying power has decreased a lot as well.

Speaking of retirees… On Sunday the 26th, thousands of pensioners from across the country gathered at the Great Retiree Rally organized by the main opposition, the Republican People’s Party or CHP, in Tandoğan Square in Ankara, the country’s capital. The rally aimed to highlight their struggles, especially the low pensions that are not enough to get by. The retirees voiced their demands, holding banners reading "There's a fire in the kitchen, we've reached our limit" and "We won't pay for the crisis."

Many pensioners from different provinces participated in the rally. Lots of organizations and unions, like the Retiree Union, the All Retirees Union, the Independent Retirees Union, and the Turkish Retired Noncommissioned Officers Association, also joined the protest.

Still on education, as on the same day, private school teachers from the Private Sector Teachers' Union gathered in the Kızılay Square in Ankara to protest against low wages and call for better working conditions. After giving a speech in front of the Ministry of Education, they attempted to march to the National Sovereignty Park. However, they met with the police, who tried to block them. Reportedly, a police officer pulled a gun on one of the demonstrators, threatening to shoot him, which made things worse.

Despite the law enforcement’s actions, teachers continued their sit-in, asking for fair wages and protection against exploitation by private education institutions.

These schools often hire teachers who couldn't find jobs in public schools and end up overworking for very little pay, sometimes even less than minimum wage, for six-to seven-day weeks.

In other news… Last week, the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, proposed a new law that will allow euthanasia for street animals, mainly dogs, if they are not adopted within thirty days of being placed in a shelter. This proposition aims to address the concern over the uncontrolled growth of the dog population in cities and stray dog attacks in the neighborhoods. There have been complaints about loud barking, keeping people awake at night. Individuals have also complained about not being able to walk to their homes freely because of dog attacks.

Of course, this proposition caused a significant backlash among the public, with many slamming how the government chooses to deal with this problem, saying that spraying is a more humane solution.

The AKP spokesperson stated that the party would submit the proposition to the parliament within this week and discuss the opposing views there.

Moving on… On Thursday the 23rd, the Ministry of National Defense, or MSB, confirmed allegations of human trafficking at the Syrian border involving a contracted employee and a Brigadier General, who has been retired for negligence. The ministry clarified that they identified the issue internally, and not as a result of an operation. They terminated the employee’s contract, and an investigation is ongoing. However, the MSB emphasized that the investigation is confidential, so there is no additional information on the matter.

In some health news, earlier this month, the CHP said that salmonella, a type of bacteria that causes fever and diarrhea, had been detected in a batch of meat that the Meat and Milk Board imported from Ukraine. The Meat and Milk Board, a state-run board that sells meat at more affordable prices than market rates, operates stores across the country.

Tests revealed salmonella contamination in a batch of imported meat. On Monday the 27th, the Board announced that it would destroy the contaminated batch, and assured that it was never used in production or sold. The Board said that the Agriculture Ministry conducts tests on all imported meat upon entry, and that’s how they detected the contaminated batch.

On another note, on Friday the 24th, Hakan Fidan, the foreign minister, announced that Turkey has started talks with the EU to facilitate the Schengen visa process for Turkish citizens. Turkish citizens need a Shengen visa to travel to and within Europe. During a meeting with EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement in Ankara, Fidan emphasized Turkey's commitment to EU goals and the importance of updating the Customs Union. The discussions focused on easing visa congestion and initiating full negotiations on visa liberalization, prioritizing businesspeople and students. Fidan highlighted the increasing Schengen visa rejection rates, which reached 17% in twenty twenty-one. The Foreign Ministry stated that the visa liberalization process is 92% complete, with only six issues remaining.

In some economic measures… The government has decided to halt all national garden projects that are not 75% done as part of recent austerity measures. These public parks, a key campaign promise of the AKP, have faced criticism for questionable tender processes and unwelcoming designs. President Erdoğan has praised the gardens for their social, cultural, and economic value. However, these parks can be seen as wasted public funds.

On to diplomatic news… An MP from the People's Equality and Democracy Party has brought allegations to the parliament about the detention of Isam Alibey, a consulate official reportedly held in Saudi Arabia for six months. In his parliamentary inquiry addressed to the foreign minister, the MP asked if the allegations were true, what efforts have been made for Alibey's release and repatriation, and the reason for his detention. He also questioned whether Alibey is indeed a consulate official of the city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, the number of consulate officials currently detained, and how many have been detained over the past five years. The minister has yet to respond, but the public eagerly awaits answers, as Turkey's failure to retrieve its own official would be a serious issue.

Let’s talk about sports, as on Sunday the 26th, Turkey's National Women's Volleyball Team criticized flying economy class on a thirteen-hour trip to the USA, where they barely fit in their seats. The players shared their frustration on Instagram, highlighting the disparity compared to the men's football team, which travels by private jet despite limited success compared to their team. Turkish Airlines Press Counsellor stated that federations handle ticketing, while the Turkish Volleyball Federation said that regulations prevent them from buying Business Class tickets. The Federation stated that it had requested cabin upgrades from Turkish Airlines earlier this month, but they didn’t get them. This issue follows a similar incident in September twenty twenty-three when the team traveled to Japan in economy class for the Paris Olympics qualifiers.

To close off this edition… On Wednesday the 22nd, the Transport and Infrastructure Minister announced that Twitter opened a representative office in Turkey. The decision came after the country imposed advertisement restrictions and threatened bandwidth limitations to enforce compliance with a twenty twenty law requiring local representatives for digital media companies. Twitter agreed to the demand in twenty twenty-one, but the process stalled after Elon Musk acquired the company. Other major tech firms like Meta, YouTube, and TikTok have also opened offices in the country to meet local regulations.

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

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