Mehmet Hanifi GULEL
Representatives of the bakery sector, who noted that no increase in bread prices is expected in Istanbul, stated that the rumors that the price of bread has increased recently do not reflect the truth.
Representatives requested that if one or two tradesmen had increased prices, they should also be inspected and the necessary legal procedures should be carried out. Noting that the price of bread per kilogram was 50 lira, the President of the Turkish Bakers Federation Halil İbrahim Balcı said that there was no increase on their agenda. Expressing that he could not say that there would be no increase by the end of the year, Balcı said, “If the minimum wage increases in the country, the cost will also increase and this will be reflected in the price. But today, there is no price increase on our agenda.
We are currently in July and as of today, there is no increase on our agenda. There is no increase in August either. If something happens in August, it will be on the agenda in September. On the other hand, as of April, the provinces are switching to the normal price of 50 lira per kilogram. 200 grams of bread is 10 lira, but as in Rize, 250 grams of bread is 12.5 lira. After all, it is listed as 50 lira per kilo,” he said.
“Production of personnel shortage “It could bring it to a standstill.”
President of the Istanbul Bakers’ Association, Erdoğan Çetin, stated that the price hikes made by some tradesmen did not reflect the truth and that the price of bread per kilogram was 50 lira. Çetin, who said, “There is no price hike ahead of us,” drew attention to the personnel problem and said, “Bakers cannot produce bread right now due to personnel shortages. The personnel shortage is at its peak. If it continues like this, bread production in bakeries may come to a standstill.”
Emphasizing that salaries in the sector are determined by the bread employers union, Çetin stated that bakery is a difficult profession, that people work 365 days a year and that these people need to be paid more. Stating that the price of bread goes up when you pay more, Çetin said, “We cannot pay more because they do not increase the price of bread, and when we cannot pay, we cannot find personnel.
The main problem is that people are paid too little. If you pay them enough, they will work. So if a person is paid the same for working in the cold in a shopping mall or in a bakery, why should he work in a bakery? Then you have to pay more than a minibus driver, a restaurant owner, a buffet owner, a café owner or a security guard. The staff works in the heat and cold seven days a week and 365 days a year.
So, there should be money in return for this. The personnel shortage in our sector is a bit more. The personnel comes with a raise every month and you have to give the personnel a raise every month. This time it is reflected as a raise in bread. Apart from this, the input costs of electricity, water, natural gas, flour, salt and yeast are constantly increasing,” he said.
On the other hand, bread is sold for 10 liras in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Antalya and Adana in Turkey. In places where it is not sold for 10 liras, they have been making adjustments to increase their prices to that level since April.
In the last year in Istanbul Nearly 100 bakeries closed
Erdoğan Çetin, who reported that nearly 100 bakeries have closed in Istanbul in the last year, stated that the main reason for the closures was the inability to find personnel. Çetin, who stated that if the personnel problem continues like this, the closures will continue, said, “There are no masters to produce bread. If things continue like this, we will not be able to find personnel to work in the bakeries.”
Source: www.dunya.com
