26.12.2015 Gaziantep
Organized by the GSO, “2015 Stars of Gaziantep Awards Ceremony” was held at the Abdulkadir Konukoğlu Sports and Culture Center with the attendances of TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu and Deputy PM Mehmet Şimşek.
The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) M. Rifat
Hisarcıklıoğlu stated in his speech that TOBB is monitoring the work underway
in regards to increasing the minimum wage closely.
Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “We’re not saying our employees should make less
money. We’ve no such wish. They should earn more. The more they earn the more
we prosper. Is it even possible for us to prosper otherwise?” Hisarcıklıoğlu
stated that adding anything other than inflation and prosperity adjustments to
the minimum wage would drastically reduce the competitive edge of the private
sector. “99.2% of our establishments are SMEs. Their profit before taxes is 40
billion TRY. I’m not mentioning taxes yet. If we were to shoulder the burden of
this new minimum wage that would cost us 26 billion TRY. SMEs would lose their
competitive power. We want to distribute this burden. Don’t load it all on us,
we don’t have the power to carry it. Let’s all shoulder it together. It would
please us if our employees’ wages increased to 1,300 TRY. It would give them
more to spend.”
Reporting that dishonored cheques are on the rise, Hisarcıklıoğlu urged
the use of QR coded cheques by business people. Hisarcıklıoğlu also lamented
the fact that the Credit Guarantee Fund is not well enough known.
Stating that the only risk-free investment is the one made in education,
Hisarcıklıoğlu reported that Gaziantep is the province with the second highest
number of industrial design applications and the sixth in terms of brand-patent
applications, with many countless other successes, “I congratulate you all.”
- Deputy PM Şimşek
Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Şimşek stated that Turkey is experiencing a
difficult time. Stressing the importance of unity and solidarity in overcoming
these difficult times and turning such a period into opportunity, Şimşek said,
“If the trick to business is honesty then the trick to prosperity is reform.”
Minister Şimşek continued his speech with his “Turkey: Structural
Transformation Vision” presentation, underlining the necessity of reforms in
Turkey.
Touching on the minimum wage discussion, Şimşek reminded that the
government will be taking on the costs of onsite training for all laborers this
year.
Minister Şimşek stressed the need to very carefully handle the minimum
wage discussion, pointing out the effects of it on the competitive power of the
private sector.
- Adil Konukoğlu
GSO Board Chairman Adil Konukoğlu stated that they would be awarding the
heroes of Gaziantep’s quest for industrialization for their contributions
through labor, self-sacrifice and courage.
Konukoğlu stated that Gaziantep is one of the important cities directing
the country’s economy. He reported that despite a difficult year in terms of
international trade, Gaziantep has still managed to enter the top 10 cities at
number 5.
- Other speakers
Governor Ali Yerlikaya and Mayor Fatma Şahin also spoke during the
event, providing information regarding their endeavors in service of Gaziantep.