Turkish unemployment benefit

[shirleyanntr]

Turkish unemployment benefit is paid for only 6 months and is about 200 euros. out of the 6 million unemployed there is a very small number who get the benefit...under 300,000 according to the report.

Here's part of an article in todays Bianet
''the government has passed a new law that will allow the accumulated funds in the Unemployment Fund to be used by employers to pay insurance and for incentives for work

Süleyman Çelebi, president of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Revolutionary Workers (DİSK), has expressed the confederation's opposition to the diversion of funds. If necessary, they would take the issue to the Constitutional Court, he said.

Çelebi accused the AKP's government of appropriating the unemployment fund rather than creating policies to prevent unemployment or making it easier to receive from unemployment benefits.


"The real number of unemployed has reached 6 million, but the number of people receiving unemployment benefits is 292,000. In addition, an unemployed person can only receive those benefits for an average of 6 months, and at most 80 percent of the minimum wage, i.e. 436 TL (around 200 Euros). The priority of the political government must be to stop policies that create unemployment and to correct this distortion."

Labour organisations have called for an extension of the time that people may receive benefits, for an increase in the sum received, and for trade unions to be involved in the management of the fund.

the opposition parties are enraged by this latest move by the AK Party ,much of the money will be given to the GAP project in South East Turkey

According to the law, three quarters of the accumulated money will be used from 2009 to 2010, and a quarter from 2011 to 2012. The planned area of use is the Southeastern Anatolian Project (GAP).

In addition, the fund is also to pay for the unemployment insurance that employers pay for their workers, and for certain incentive packages for employers.

As of June, the money accumulated in the Unemployment Fund amounts to 40 billion 696 million TL (around 19 billion 142 million Euros). (TK/AG)

 

[angelaturkey]

Hello Shirley,

Is the 200 Euros - per month - per week - or for whole 6 months unemployment? Lucky they have such supportive extended families in Turkey then.

All best wishes,
Angela

 

[geordie_nev]

There was a little article + video on global post a few months ago about Turkey’s current unemployment crises.

Taking refuge in Turkey's tea houses | GlobalPost

I remember spending some time in Amasya in the early 1990’s when unemployment was shockingly high and the situation was very desperate.

 

[shirleyanntr]

Hi Geordie-Nev..thanks for the link...you are probably aware that im no admirer of the ruling party..i think the arrogance of the leaders is growing.
Mr Erdoğan was in a confrontation this week with an opposition leader and he told him bluntly to ''know your place..and not to speak to your leader like that'..very dictatorial.

Unemployment is rising and benefits are laughable...the poor are getting poorer... maybe its not that evident in urban areas in the summer months, but for most of the country its a hand to mouth existence.

 

[Harem]

I remember during our second holiday in Turkey, being told by a barman that Turkey is a third world country and that many people lived by picking over the rubbish bins. At the time we didn't believe him, simply because we had never seen beyond the tourist resorts. He came from somewhere in the east.

 

[SuperBogs]

Hello Shirley,

Is the 200 Euros - per month - per week - or for whole 6 months unemployment? Lucky they have such supportive extended families in Turkey then.

All best wishes,
Angela

That would be per month.

Biker Bob

 

[Saoirse]

jesus it would be bloody hard to get by on that!

 

[jearden]

Hello Shirley,

Is the 200 Euros - per month - per week - or for whole 6 months unemployment? Lucky they have such supportive extended families in Turkey then.

All best wishes,
Angela

The 436TL/200 Euros is per month. Interestingly the new gross minimum wage of 693TL per month is exactly that, there is no minimum hourly rate and many employees are required to work in excess of 400hrs a month for this minimum. No wonder the unions walked out of the recent minimum wage negotiations. So if you want to employ someone on a part time basis for a few hours a month you either pay the minimum monthly wage or circumvent the system.

 

[villabaris1]

jesus it would be bloody hard to get by on that!

Yet there are thousands of Turks who are working 80hrs a week - 320hrs a month -(my neighbour included) for little more than that...500TL a month to be precise - and come the winter she is out of a job.

Many expats forget that Turkish families are living on the same amount that some Brits spend in bars! Thats not knocking the rights of people to spend their cash how they wish - but it does put it into perspective.

Sometimes the sunshine, the expat lifestyle, retirement to the sun, does obliterate the reality of daily life for hardworking Turks who are bringing up families on appallingly low wages.

 

[ceemac]

Yes but surely you can't equate what an 'average' Turk earns to what money we foreigners have or spend?

I thought the figure of 6m unemployed quoted in an earlier post seems very high - it was officially 3.65m in April.


C

 

[pebble]

I hate to say it, but no one has a clue how these people live away from the resort towns, in the winter, when they go back to their village.
do you really think that the barman is making a legal wage? i mean like at the end of the week he gets a pay packet, with a list of what has been paid out to SSK, unemployment insurance etc? come on, they'd be lucky to get anything at all, they will most likely be promised to be paid at the end of the season, and then not.
I have seen this happen time and time again, to both restaurant workers, hotel workers, anything to do with the tourist industry.

and yes, get out of the resort areas, and life is totally different. it is much like a third world country.
go up to Izmir and look at squatters town.

what we see on the coastline is a delusional world. I hate to burst your bubble......


Shirl, that is so typical of what Erdogan said, arrogant bastard. I bet all that EU funding is going to line his family's pocket, how much you wanna bet, his son in law is going to be in charge of disbursement of those fund. they just cant help themselves.....

it's all a show for the outside world.

Shirl, any news on Alan??

 

[Akasya]

Quote from pebble

" Shirl, that is so typical of what Erdogan said, arrogant bastard. I bet all that EU funding is going to line his family's pocket, how much you wanna bet, his son in law is going to be in charge of disbursement of those fund. they just cant help themselves....."

I think you have hit the nail on the head " they just cant help themselves..."

They just can't not help themselves.

Steve.

 

[geordie_nev]

Hi Geordie-Nev..thanks for the link...you are probably aware that im no admirer of the ruling party..i think the arrogance of the leaders is growing.
Mr Erdoğan was in a confrontation this week with an opposition leader and he told him bluntly to ''know your place..and not to speak to your leader like that'..very dictatorial.

Unemployment is rising and benefits are laughable...the poor are getting poorer... maybe its not that evident in urban areas in the summer months, but for most of the country its a hand to mouth existence.

I’m a socialist at heart so naturally I’m against a many of AKP’s conservative social and domestic polices, but I wonder what the opposition parties policies are on these issues? Which party has a great social welfare master plan? After all the AKP were voted in largely by the conservative masses in central Turkey who by nature don’t particularly like state social welfare anyway.

People can call Erdogan arrogant and he might well deserves it (as well as the nickname the bully of kasimpasa) but remember the CHP used to run with the slogan “for the people, in spite of the people” meaning the people aren’t educated enough to understand their policies but should vote for them anyway – how arrogant is that! They now seem out of touch with many voters in Turkey and out of touch with the rest of the world for that matter.

I don’t think there’s a political leader in the world now that isn’t under pressure from the financial crises, I’m sure you’ve read posts about Gordon Brown's arrogance as well, even super hero Obama is having a hard time of it all the moment, but what the are opposition parties in Turkey doing? Probably very little; still moaning about head shaves and the Kurds no doubt. AKP lost little ground in the recent local elections, only losing real ground to the DTP in the south east. Largely due to the poor showing by the opposition.

Naturally whenever there’s an economic crisis in Turkey and unemployment rises, we get more Turks moving to London. I’ve already noticed a slight increase over the past few months. It’s funny because Turks here often say “the reason why Turkey is a poor country and has a poor welfare state is because people in Turkey don’t pay enough tax, employers will do anything and every thing to stop paying tax”., employers will pretend they employ 100 people (pay tax on 100 people) when in reality they employ 500, I’m sure you know the score better than me. It’s in complete contract to the way ex-pats talk about Turkey – I often think there must be two Turkeys because of the difference in the way Turks living here talk about Turkey and the way people on these forums talk about Turkey.

The EU over the past year or so have advised the government on cracking down on black market employment etc, but of course the CHP (nicknamed by many as “the party who says no”) opposes anything the EU suggests.

Anyway rant over, there was an article about Erdogan unpopularity on Istanbulian.com the other day.