Filiz Zeyrek

 

ADANA –“We work the most but our salary isn’t increased,” said the women working in packing plant for citrus.

 

28 agricultural laborers were injured in a pile-up took place in the Dörtyol district of Hatay province and they were taken to Dörtyol State Hospital. After their treatment at the hospital, 24 of them were discharged from the hospital. Rights violation, the exploitation of labor and precarious work conditions imposed on the seasonal agricultural workers continue despite accidents and deaths. Up to now, many workers have lost their lives in workplace killings being legitimized saying ‘workplace accidents’. The women working in a packing plant for citrus in the Havutlu Neighborhood of Adana’s Yüreğir district stated that they haven’t received a recompense for their work and they talked about the       system of exploitation they were subjected to.

 

Their story is a story starts in orchards and continues in packing plants… Some of these women forcibly displaced from Kurdistan work in orchards and some work in packing plants. The women working in packing plants think they are ‘lucky’ compared to women working in the orchards. Of course, the reason for this luck is not about having a secured job or healthy conditions. The reason for this luck is being away from sun and mud in the orchards.

 

Zeynep Erer said they worked in the plant for at least 10 hours per day and she added, “I work for the future of my children. At least they won’t live like us. We work here for hours and then we go to our homes and work there. We cannot spare the time for ourselves. If the state wants, they can make a new arrangement for women and gives the facilities to them for women's lives and rights. The prices of everything increase but our salary isn’t increased. We work the most but our salary isn’t increased! We don’t have health coverage. We can find food when we work but we will go hungry if we don’t work a day.

 

“We work two days in order to buy half a bag of flour. I have four children and I work to send them to the school.”

 

Fatma Esen said her husband was in prison and she and her two children had to work in the packing plant. Stating that her children had to leave their education in order to work in the plant, Fatma added, “Life is very difficult if you do not have a security.” Fatma said that working and producing something is good but they have to work for hours per day.

 

Hatun Çakmak expressed that she works in the packing plant to not work in orchards and that she is happy to stand on her own legs. Stating that the labor of women is invisible, Hatun said, “We are asking an amendment in the constitutional law for women to have a little more comfort life.”