MTSO President: Workplace construction should be accelerated, trade should be revived

Visiting the tradesmen on İnönü Street, Malatya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MTSO) Board Chairman Oğuzhan Ata Sadıkoğlu said, “Although 18 months have passed since the earthquake, the recovery process is not progressing as fast as we expected. Business construction should be accelerated. It is not possible to get the city back on its feet unless we revive trade.”

Malatya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MTSO) Board Chairman Oğuzhan Ata Sadıkoğlu visited the companies located on İnönü Street. President Sadıkoğlu listened to the problems and demands of the companies operating in containers and held meetings with the relevant institutions and organizations for the urgent solution of the problems.

Stating that the tradesmen operating in containers cannot do business and are only struggling to exist, Mayor Sadıkoğlu said, “18 months have passed since the earthquake. The recovery process is not progressing as fast as we expected. In every environment we are in, we express that our city’s trade needs to be revived quickly. Because our tradesmen operating in 3,500 containers set up in various parts of the city are only struggling to exist. We cannot say that they are doing healthy trade. It saddens us that many tradesmen are making sales of 6-7 thousand TL per month in a period when the minimum wage is 17 thousand TL. The problems that our tradesmen in the containers encounter due to the lack of toilets, sinks, internet, cleanliness and order negatively affect their hopes of staying in the city. We are always in talks with the relevant institutions to solve the physical problems urgently. We have also noted the problems of our tradesmen on İnönü Street and will forward them, and we will follow up on them. According to the information we received from the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change officials, they are currently in the center of the market. “The number of workplaces under construction is 4,709. This number is certainly not enough. The number of workplaces that have started construction should be increased and the process should be accelerated. The faster the workplaces are completed and delivered, the faster our city will get back on its feet,” he said.

Underlining that it is mandatory to extend the force majeure period in an environment where tradesmen struggle to continue their trade in 21 square meter containers, President Sadıkoğlu said, “Our companies that cannot trade and earn money are worried about their accumulated taxes and SGK and Bağkur premium debts. I would like to reiterate once again on this occasion that it is mandatory to extend the force majeure period that will end on August 31. It is impossible for our companies that have not had their workplaces delivered and are struggling to survive in containers to pay their accumulated public debts. As I have said on every platform; either the force majeure period should be extended until the workplaces are delivered or all public debts that have accumulated for 18 months should be erased.” – MALATYA