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Turkey's nearly 5 million minimum-wage workers are getting a raise Jan. 1, but some of them may end up unemployed if businesses follow through on their threats.
One of the key campaign issues of the June 7 and Nov. 1 general elections was a minimum wage increase. When the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) promised to hike the monthly minimum to 1,500 Turkish lira ($513) from about 1,000 lira, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) countered by promising 1,300 lira. After the AKP won the Nov. 1 election with resounding success, the party said the new monthly minimum wage, about $445, will take effect Jan. 1.
