20.01.2026 16:46
Meyrem Topal, an agricultural worker in the Kadirli district of Osmaniye, said, "I froze and felt cold in the morning chill. I have two orphans, and I am trying to feed them as well. My rent is 10,000 lira a month. I manage to support my household with the 1,000 lira I earn here. I am a cancer patient. If I don't come here, I will be hungry; if I come, I will be full," which broke hearts.
Agricultural workers who set out before sunrise in the Kadirli district of Osmaniye only return home at night. Workers in the kale field, who earn 1000 TL a day, are demanding a raise, stating that they cannot make ends meet with their wages.
"WE HAVE NO TIME TO REST"
Agricultural worker Hanife Kömür expressed that she works in the kale field and said: "We have no time to rest at all. I earn 1000 lira, should I give it to tea, sugar, breakfast, or my children? I can't buy anything for my children or grandchildren. I can't go anywhere, I can't visit my children or grandchildren... It's very cold. We arrive home by 10:00 PM, I can't cook or eat anything. Whatever I eat here is what I sleep with at home. I don't know what we should do."
"IF I DON'T COME HERE, I'M HUNGRY, IF I COME, I'M FULL"
Agricultural worker Meyrem Topal stated, "I froze and shivered in the morning cold. I have two orphans, and I am trying to feed them too. My rent is 10,000 lira a month. The 1000 lira I earn here is what I use to support my household. Life is very expensive. I am a cancer patient, I come here to work, my foreman takes care of me. If I don't come here, I'm hungry; if I come, I'm full. The daily wage is not enough, they help from here and there, we manage to get by," she said.
"DAILY WAGE NEEDS TO BE 1500 TL SO WE CAN MAKE ENDS MEET"
Agricultural worker Yakup Çınkır stated, "We start working in the cold from 04:00 AM. Our daily wages have not increased yet; they are paying us 1000 lira. It's not enough; right now, we are working for a package of tea and five kilos of sugar. The daily wage needs to be at least 1500 lira so we can make ends meet. Life is very hard; we cannot get by. There is no increase in the daily wage, and we have no agricultural insurance. We have been in the same situation for years. We want agricultural insurance for the workers," he explained.
"1000 TL IS NOT ENOUGH"
Perihan Dalkıran expressed her situation as follows: "We wake up in the morning and come here to work in the field. There are four children, and we receive 1000 lira as daily wage. The rent is high; we cannot make ends meet. We don't know what to spend it on. We want the daily wage to be 1500 lira. If there is work, I come; if not, I don't. Some days I can come, some days I can't. I don't know where to spend the 1000 lira. 1000 lira is not enough. I can't buy meat, milk, or yogurt. Sometimes I can't even buy cheese or olives for my children. If we can find bread, we are grateful for that."
"WE WANT AN INCREASE"
Hatice Bucak expressed the following in her statement:
"We leave at 04:00 AM and arrive here by 07:00 AM. We start working in the cold of the morning; it's very difficult. 1000 lira is cheap; we want an increase, we want it to be 1500 lira. We come here in the morning cold. It's very hard. Our daily wage is not enough; if we buy one thing, we can't buy another. We come when there is work; when there isn't, we stay at home, but it's tough; the daily wage is low. We want an increase. We are grateful when we find bread. We can't buy meat, milk, or eggs; if we buy one, we can't buy another. The living conditions are very difficult."