‘In None of My Unemployed Periods Did I Feel So Hopeless as Now’

* Photo: Ali Ballı / Anadolu Agency (AA)

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"My unemployment of more than two years ended in February. I started working at a tourism agency in İstanbul. But after working for one and a half months, coronavirus broke out. As the business came to a standstill, the boss has dismissed me. As I didn't work for the period stipulated by the state, I cannot get unemployment pay or short-time working allowance."

Bülent Demirer is 31-year-old tourism worker. After studying Tourism and Hotel Management, he worked as a guide and consultant at several institutions, he worked at hotels. He had long periods of unemployment.

Starting his remarks with the above words, Bülent Demirer says, "In none of my previous unemployed periods did I feel so hopeless as now." He says it because he could barely find a job after being unemployed for over two years and he has lost this job as well after working for one and a half months.

Now, he thinks that he will not be able to find a job for a long time amid coronavirus uncertainty, just like 3 million others in the sector:

'I receive no unemployment, short-time working pay'

"I had been unemployed for a long time. There were times when I worked at busses or on tours, but they were not permanent jobs, they were just saving the day. After hard efforts, I found a job at a tourism agency in Mecidiyeköy. My house was in Kartal, but I had no other choice and started working.

"When I said that I fortunately had the job, coronavirus broke out. Spring is a busy season for tourism workers. Plans for summer are usually made in spring. We also had daily tours. Business stopped at once. No foreign tourists came for day trips. Then, we started receiving no reservations for summer and the ones who had made reservations cancelled their plans.

"That being the case, the agency had to close down for a while. I was working for less than two months, then I was dismissed. One more person was laid off with me. S/he had just started working, like me. The other six personnel have either started working from home or taken a leave.

"As I had just started working, I can now benefit from neither unemployment pay nor short-time working allowance. I am lucky as I live with my family. I don't have to sustain a family, but there are also the ones who have to do it, there are those who have children. There are workers who work seasonally. I don't know how we will get over this process. This time, I might not be able to find a job for a much longer period, I guess."

Işık: There are 1 million registered unemployed

Progressive Tourism Workers Union (Dev-Turizm-İş) Ankara Branch Chair Aziz Işık says that according to the figures shared by the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policies, there are 990 thousand unemployed people in the No. 18 line of business which also includes the tourism sector.

When the unregistered workers are added to this calculation, there are over 3 million unemployed people in tourism, says Işık and adds that more than 700 thousand people have closed their businesses due to coronavirus:

"We are just at a time when the season is about to open. There were over 500 thousand people working only in touristic regions. But everywhere is closed. Restaurants, cafes, bars, entertainment facilities... They are all in our line of business. Only the personnel of dining halls are working now. And their number is almost 100 thousand.

"The ones who have closed their businesses turn to short-time working allowances, but it is a right that can be used by only registered workers. What about over 2 million unregistered workers? What about seasonal workers or the ones made to take unpaid leave? 1,170 lira is nothing but a fee of poverty. They have now condemned us to hunger.

'We know that 2020 will be an empty season'

"Several of our friends can benefit from neither unemployment pay nor short-time working allowance. In order for a worker to apply for short-time working allowance, a premium needs to have been paid for him or her for at least 450 days in the last 3 years and he or she must have worked for full 60 days before the start or short work. As for the unemployment pay, a premium needs to have been paid for at least 600 days in the last 3 years and he or she must have worked for full 120 days before the start of short work.

"Seasonal workers or the newly-recruited ones cannot benefit from these rights. How will we make ends meet in this case? What we want is that the money deducted from us be paid to us back.

"We know that 2020 will be an empty season, we have admitted it. They are talking about July and August, but tourists will not come then, either.

"I do not think that 2021 will be any brighter. We cannot see the future now. While we were working, we were disciplined with hunger. But, now, we are disciplined with death." (HA/SD)