Tülay Hatimoğulları, co-chair of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish People’s Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, visited seasonal farm workers of Adana in the southeast of the country on Saturday as part of a series of meetings dubbed the ‘Bread and Justice Meetings’, and vowed to bring their grievances to the country’s parliament. She highlighted the devastating impact of systemic poverty on agricultural workers, pledging to continue the struggle for change.
“We launched the Bread and Justice campaign two months ago,” Hatimoğulları said during the visit. “People are forced to leave school and work in the fields because of the rising poverty in Turkey. We are fully aware of this and are fighting to address it.”
Hatimoğulları joined workers in the pepper fields of Karataş, listening to their concerns on meagre wages and tough working conditions. Some workers said that they earn just 600TL a day, which is insufficient to cover basic living costs. One young woman explained how she had had to drop out of school to help her family survive.
“We can see that there are many things you haven’t said aloud,” Hatimoğulları acknowledged. “It’s obvious from everyone’s eyes. This is a systemic problem. The system forces young children into labour and compels people to leave school just to bring home a loaf of bread.”
Farmers related stories of similar struggles. Soaring costs and low market prices means leaving crops to rot in the fields, endangering livelihoods. “Farmers used to flourish after planting large fields, but now they can’t even recover the costs of harvesting their tomatoes and peppers,” one farmer said.
Hatimoğulları condemned these conditions and blamed government policies for the worsening crisis. “We will continue this campaign in parliament and beyond to make sure your issues are heard,” she pledged. “We all see the growing poverty. Let’s talk openly about our problems, because while talking doesn’t solve them, it can ease the burden.”
