Seasonal Agricultural Workers' Issues Brought to Parliament Again

September 16, 2026 · mersinhaberci.com

DEVA Party Mersin Deputy Mehmet Emin Ekmen brought the housing, wage, and infrastructure problems of seasonal agricultural workers to the parliamentary agenda, calling for the full implementation of Presidential Circular No. 2024/5 on the ground.

The structural problems faced by seasonal agricultural workers, who ensure the continuity of agricultural production across Turkey, have once again been brought to the parliamentary agenda. DEVA Party Deputy Chairman and Mersin Deputy Mehmet Emin Ekmen stated that agricultural workers are struggling not only with low wages and harsh working conditions but also with multidimensional issues such as housing, clean drinking water, electricity infrastructure, hygiene, health, and children's education. Ekmen emphasized that the living standards of these workers, who form the most critical link in production, must be urgently improved, drawing attention to the inadequacy of on-site inspections.

Addressing the fate of parliamentary questions submitted to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, DEVA Party Deputy Chairman and Mersin Deputy Mehmet Emin Ekmen reacted to the slow functioning of the parliamentary oversight mechanism and made the following assessment:

Referring to the history of legislative regulations for seasonal agricultural workers, Ekmen stated that the first comprehensive studies in this field were initiated in 2010 and updated in 2017. The deputy argued that implementation lagged during the transition to the presidential system and noted that as a result of intensive work, Presidential Circular No. 2024/5 on Seasonal Agricultural Workers was published on April 27, 2024. Ekmen expressed that if the legislation is fully implemented on the ground, the chronic problems faced by the agricultural workforce could be largely overcome.

Under the current Presidential Circular No. 2024/5, a total of 11 ministries have been assigned coordinated duties concerning the establishment of temporary settlement areas, the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Project (METİP), transportation safety, social security, and education. According to the regulation, the relevant units of the Ministries of Family and Social Services, Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Youth and Sports, Treasury and Finance, Interior, Culture and Tourism, National Education, Health, Agriculture and Forestry, and Transportation and Infrastructure are required to take an active role in the process.

Criticizing the on-the-ground reflections of the circular, DEVA Party Deputy Chairman and Mersin Deputy Mehmet Emin Ekmen voiced the shortcomings in the field with the following words:

DEVA Party Deputy Chairman and Mersin Deputy Mehmet Emin Ekmen, who calls for the operation of inspection and implementation mechanisms, concluded his remarks as follows:

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