TKP protests suicide of a pensioner due to economic problems

The Ankara Provincial Organization of the Communist Party of Türkiye (TKP) gathered on Saturday in Sakarya Square for Ali Şekerci, a retired man who took his own life during yesterday's "we can't make ends meet" protest in front of the Constitutional Court.

The retirees, who participated in the 6 PM meeting with the slogan "We are workers, not surplus," drew attention to the fact that they receive salaries far below the poverty line in today's Turkey, where they earned their retirement rights through years of hard work, and demanded a humane life.

'We are here not for money, but for our honor.'

Nale Eylik, speaking on behalf of the retirees at the protest, which was also attended by the "We are breathing down on the bosses' neck" Retired Solidarity Network, said, "As it was written on the banner carried by our retired friend who ended his life, we are here not for money, but for our dignity, for a comfortable and humane life that we all want."

Eylik stated that the last words of their deceased friend once again showed that the imposed life had become unbearable, adding, "There are 16 million pensioners living in our country. According to official statements, the salaries of our friends who receive low monthly payments are far below the poverty line." 

Eylik pointed out that more than 5 million retirees are working a second job officially to make ends meet.

While pensioners are starving, employers receive 2.7 trillion lira in incentives.

Eylik, reminding that the government avoids giving higher raises to pensioners under the pretext of "lack of resources" while distributing trillions of liras in incentives to employers, used the following expressions in his speech:  

"The government, which claims there is insufficient resources to improve retirement pensions, has no shortage of resources to provide employers with 2.7 trillion lira in annual incentives. Retirement pensions are not a burden on the state budget; they are the return for the insurance premiums we pay from our salaries while we are working. Yes, our country is rich. But the share of this wealth received by workers, laborers, and pensioners is steadily decreasing."

They justify the reduction in our share by claiming that retirees live longer. It's as if they want us to die as soon as possible. Yet, we are the ones who created this country and its wealth. We worked for years, we produced value. We deserve a dignified life and we are fighting for it. We know that we can only build a secure future together."

Nale Eylik, who invited all retirees to fight for a dignified life, concluded her speech with the following words:

"We are aware that we are part of the working class. For these reasons, and at the call of the TKP (Communist Party of Turkey), we are coming together in the Retired Solidarity Networks. We invite you to join us in the Retired Solidarity Networks to raise our voices and demand our rights."