AK Party Deputy Parliamentary Group Chairman Abdulhamit Gül has said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan instructed the government’s economic team to work on a new arrangement for pensioners’ incomes, adding that the measure would be put into law once the work is finished, according to reports by Anadolu Agency (AA), Cumhuriyet and Gerçek Haberci.
Gül made the remarks while answering journalists’ questions at "Anadolu Sohbetleri", a programme organised by the Turkish Press Federation (Türkiye Basın Federasyonu), AA and Haberler.com reported.
Instruction given at cabinet and party meetings
According to Cumhuriyet, Gerçek Haberci and the AA report, Gül said Erdoğan had raised the issue both at cabinet meetings and at meetings of the AK Party’s Central Decision and Executive Board (MKYK), the party’s top decision-making body. He said the finance minister, the labour minister and the wider economic team were working on the matter.
Gül said the instruction stressed that pensioners should receive what they deserve, Cumhuriyet and Gerçek Haberci reported. Asked about timing, he said: "Once the work is completed, it will become law," according to Cumhuriyet and Gerçek Haberci.
No method, rate or timetable for any extra increase has been announced, Cumhuriyet and Gerçek Haberci noted. Both outlets reported that criteria under discussion include the number of premium (contribution) days, age and income level, with the aim of narrowing income gaps between pensioners with different contribution records.
The Labour Ministry has already set out plans for the lowest pension from January 2027.
Call to publish names in fund investigation
At the same event Gül also spoke about the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office investigation into investment funds. He said the names of people mentioned in the investigation should be made public, and that office or rank would not protect anyone, according to Memurlar.net and Haberler.com. He also warned against people being wrongly accused, Memurlar.net and Haberler.com reported.
For earlier coverage, see our reports on Fund Board payments to investors and court rulings in the probe.
Sources
- Emekli maaşlarına düzenleme mi geliyor? Erdoğan talimat verdi (Manşet Haber / AA)
- Emeklilere ek zam kapısı mı açılıyor? Abdulhamit Gül’den dikkat çeken açıklama (Cumhuriyet)
- Abdulhamit Gül: Erdoğan emekli maaşları için ekonomi yönetimine talimat verdi (Gerçek Haberci)
- AK Partili isimlerden çağrı: Fon soruşturmasında isim listesi açıklanmalı (Memurlar.net)
- Abdulhamit Gül’den fon soruşturması açıklaması: Makamına ve mevkisine bakılmayacak (Haberler.com)
Photo: Clemens Holzmeister (1893-1983) Makril / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
