President Erdoğan: We are witnessing a great humanitarian tragedy in Gaza

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday attended the "Workers of Türkiye Century Iftar Program" at the Haliç Congress Center. President Erdoğan made statements there.
Highlights from President Erdoğan's statements:
''In Gaza, we are witnessing a great humanitarian tragedy where words fall short. It is extremely painful and shameful for humanity to witness days where finding a bowl of hot food is considered a luxury.''

''Yemen, Syria, Sudan, Turkistan, Afghanistan, and in various corners of our spiritual geography, our brothers and sisters are truly undergoing severe trials during these blessed days. We are in a period where we need justice, peace, solidarity, and a mobilization of assistance for the oppressed more than ever before. I pray that God helps all our oppressed brothers and sisters, along with those in Gaza who are suffering from oppression and persecution.''

''I am pleased to see that our nation has increased its aid to Gaza and other oppressed regions with the arrival of Ramadan. I want it to be known that, as Türkiye and the Turkish nation, we will continue to rush to the aid of those in distress, just as we have done for centuries.''

''WE HAVE ACHIEVED AN INCREASE OF NEARLY 50% IN THE SALARIES OF OUR CIVIL SERVANTS''

We have achieved an increase of nearly 50% in the salaries of our civil servants. Similarly, despite the increasing number of retirees, we have made significant improvements in the salaries of our retirees. By introducing the holiday bonus scheme, we have brought joy to our retirees during the holidays.

''RETIREES' RAMADAN BONUSES WILL BE DEPOSITED BETWEEN APRIL 2ND AND APRIL 5TH''

We have made a one-time payment of 5,000 Turkish Liras to each of our retirees. This year, we have increased the holiday bonuses of our retirees by 50%. We will deposit the Ramadan bonuses into the accounts of our retirees between April 2nd and April 5th.

We will reduce inflation back to single digits, ensuring a more sustainable increase in prosperity. Another crucial issue is the defense of labor as much as the value of labor itself. Our social dialogue mechanisms regulating labor relations through unionism have not received the attention they deserved in the past. In the last 21 years, we have made significant progress in social dialogue, as in every other field. The rate of unionization has exceeded 15%. We continue to improve the rights of our civil servants by introducing new opportunities in each collective bargaining session.