Link: https://www.novinite.com/articles/218274/Pensioner+at+43%3F+Turkey+introduces+Early+Retirement
Excerpt:
Over 2 million Turks will be able to retire at any time as long as they have worked for at least 7,200 days. Critics warn of the dangerous consequences of this pre-election move by President Erdogan, writes Deutsche Welle.
The door of the Pension and Social Security Office in Istanbul’s Unkapani district is locked. However, a long line has formed on the sidewalk in front of it – people are waiting for the lunch break to end.
The 49-year-old toy seller Murat, who is among those waiting, started working at the age of 13. Now he wants to know if he can retire immediately. “Actually, 49 is too early,” he admits. “But if the state gives you such an opportunity, you should take advantage of it,” he adds.
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Similar queues are currently being seen in many places after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the minimum retirement age would be abolished. According to him, this will affect about 2 million people. Until now, women had the right to retire at 58 and men at 60. From the middle of January, only the time worked will be taken into account. This means that 7,200 days of service will qualify for retirement.
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Another problem is that the earlier people receive pensions, the earlier they stop making contributions to the insurance system. So it is in danger of collapsing in the long term, says the woman, who did not want to be named. “This is at the expense of future generations,” economist Senol Babuscu told Turkey‘s Karar TV. “How much damage we are doing to future generations remains to be seen.”
The upcoming costs of the Turkish state are also not yet known. But the Labor Minister predicted the bill would come out to at least €5 billion.
Publication Date: 4 Jan 2023
Publication Site: novinite.com