The warming weather has marked the beginning of a demanding work season for agricultural laborers that will continue throughout the summer. Workers across Kurdistan and Turkey, who start with hoeing and then move on to harvest work during this period, are living under conditions shaped by both harsh working environments and the insecurity and poverty tied to their low incomes.
According to available data, a large majority of those working in this sector are employed informally and without social security. Despite rising prices, the lack of any increase in daily wages has further worsened their situation.
In a period where the poverty line has risen to 90,000 Turkish liras and the hunger threshold to 40,000 Turkish liras, seasonal agricultural workers, who cannot even afford basic items such as oil or flour with a day’s wage, constitute one of the most vulnerable segments of society.
There is labor but no return
Women working as hoeing laborers in the historic Hevsel Gardens of Diyarbakır (Amed) have begun their work period at the start of this month, which will continue until autumn. They work every day despite rainy weather. Starting at 7 a.m. and finishing at 4 p.m., the women are given only one meal break and one short rest during the day.
Dozens of women, aged between 15 and 70, work in the fields every day with hoes in their hands. They stated that the daily wage of 1,000 Turkish liras does not cover their expenses. The women said they come to the fields to make a living and have turned this into a profession, adding that they face serious health problems and difficulties, especially during the summer months.
We are left only with our exhaustion
The women said that, with rising prices, they are unable to cover either school expenses or household costs and shared their problems and demands with ANF. Rabia Taşan, who has worked as an agricultural laborer for years and said she cannot afford anything beyond food, stated that she now goes to the market with fear due to increasing prices. Emphasizing that life has become even harder not only for them but for everyone working under such conditions, she described the difficulties they face in the fields.
Rabia Taşan, 40, said that people as young as 15 and as old as 70 work alongside her, all struggling to survive, and continued: “Field work is very hard. Now we are hoeing, and after the summer we move on to harvesting. We do this job because we are poor, because we have no means. We start work at 7 in the morning and stay here until the evening. We hoe all day, and we do not even have gloves; yet the daily wage we receive is not enough for flour or oil. We cannot get the return for our labor. We buy sugar, we buy oil, and then we have no money left. We cannot afford what we want; we can only meet basic human needs. Living conditions are very difficult. It would be a lie to say that we live well with the money we earn here.”
Expressing her reaction to rising prices and the high cost of living, as well as not being able to receive the return for their labor, Rabia Taşan added: “If we had the means, we would not come here to work; but since we have neither income nor opportunities, we work here in the fields until evening. After finishing work, we go home, eat with difficulty, and then immediately go to sleep. Both young and old, all of us work here. And when we ask for our rights after all this labor, we are not allowed to work here again.”
No insurance and no adequate pay
One of the women working in the fields due to economic hardship is 67-year-old Duriye Akın. Despite her age and health problems, she said she is forced to work in the fields to survive. She said, “If I don’t work, I cannot make ends meet; I will go hungry,” and added that they are working merely to fill their stomachs.
Duriye Akın stated that they work for three seasons but receive no proper return for their labor and continued: “I have been working in this field for nearly 20 years. At this age, a person should be at home or spending time with their children, but I am here hoeing in the fields. I work out of necessity to make a living. There are all kinds of shortages and problems at home. We work to ease these problems and to contribute, even a little, to our households. We get very tired here, but the wages we receive are not enough for anyone. Everything has become very expensive; fruits and vegetables in the market are extremely costly. With the money they give us, we only manage to feed ourselves, and even that is limited to a few basic items. We are demanding our rights here.
Some of us support entire households, others come here to be able to continue their education. All of us are forced to work in one way or another. We have just started, and our hands will not stop working until winter. But in reality, there is neither insurance, nor money, nor adequate pay. We are working just to survive.”
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