A commission that is tasked with setting up the minimum wage for some 7 million employees for 2019 launched negotiations on Dec. 6 with the participation of employer unions, worker unions and the government.

The Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Türk-İş) has demanded that the minimum wage should be increased from the current 1,603 Turkish Liras ($298) to at least 2,000 liras ($372), a 24.8 percent rise.

For the first time, this year a worker receiving minimum wage joined the commission as a member. Gülden Kormaz, who is employed as a private security guard, will explain to commission members how difficult it is to make ends meet with the current minimum wage.

More: Minimum wage earner tells Turkey’s minimum wage commission how to make ends meet