To shield employees and companies from the financial effects of the enormous earthquake that struck the country’s south, Turkey introduced a temporary salary assistance system on Wednesday and prohibited layoffs in ten towns.
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake killed over 47,000 people on February 6 in Turkey and Syria. In addition, hundreds of structures were damaged or destroyed, and millions of others were left homeless.
According to President Tayyip Erdogan, 376,000 Turks stay in public guesthouses and dorms outside the earthquake zone, while 865,000 live in tents and 23,500 in containers.
Under the economic relief plan, employers whose workplaces were “heavily or moderately damaged” get wage support for workers whose hours had been cut, the country’s Official Gazette said on Wednesday.
A ban on layoffs was also introduced in 10 earthquake-hit provinces. Both moves aimed at easing a departure from a region home to 13 million people.
“People whose homes or businesses are damaged are now seeking jobs outside the disaster area,” economist Enver Erkan said. “It is also necessary to provide incentives to businesses who employ workers in the earthquake area.”
According to business associations and academics, rebuilding housing and infrastructure might cost Turkey $100 billion and reduce growth by one to two percentage points this year.
Erdogan has pledged quick rehabilitation, but experts warn that it might be a formula for another catastrophe if safety precautions are neglected.
Erdogan has been in power for 20 years, and elections will be held in four months. Polls conducted before the earthquake revealed that he was already under pressure from a rising cost of living issue, which may worsen now that the catastrophe has hampered agricultural output.
Three officials stated on Wednesday that the government had changed its mind on the possibility of a postponement, despite a Turkish official saying days after the earthquake that the scope of the catastrophe presented “severe obstacles” for holding elections on time.
According to a cabinet official, an agreement to hold the election on June 18 is quite likely.
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