An Analysis of Social Policy: Minimum Wage Practices In Turkey

One of the most important tools used by social policy to ensure peace in working life in a country and to protect its citizens from poverty is the practice of minimum wage. The practice, which means the minimum wage level that can be given to the employee, is a mandatory implementation determined by the councils or directly on the social dialogue mechanism. In Turkey, with a historical background dating back to nearly a century, the practice brings a process within itself, requiring continuous development and improvement. With this study, conceptual framework and historical development of the minimum wage application were examined and then an analysis was made about the standard of living of workers in our country using the “Life Household Labor Force Statistics” and “Income Life Conditions Surveys”. The practice was exposed to "Policy Analysis" through "content" and "policy process" methods and it was come to conclusion that political pressure and public pressure were determinants on the updates and enhancements performed on the minimum wage in Turkey