As International Workers’ Day approaches, observed annually on May 1, questions are resurfacing about the conditions of workers in al-Hasakah province (northeastern Syria), where economic and living crises are worsening at an unprecedented pace.
International Workers’ Day is an official holiday in more than 100 countries around the world. It aims to highlight workers’ rights, promote solidarity among them, and recall their historic struggles to improve working conditions. For daily wage laborers in al-Hasakah (northeastern Syria), however, the occasion comes amid a very different reality, as purchasing power declines and the gap between wages and living costs widens.
Declining purchasing power burdens workers
In recent years, the deterioration of the Syrian pound’s exchange rate against foreign currencies has significantly eroded wages, making daily income insufficient to cover basic needs.
Most daily wage laborers work long hours that may reach 10 or 12 hours a day, for wages that do not match the rising cost of food, water, and basic services.
This reality has imposed harsh living pressures on workers, who have become unable to meet their families’ needs, reflecting a growing humanitarian crisis in the area, according to several workers interviewed by Enab Baladi.
Worker Khaled al-Ali said the rising cost of living has become an unbearable burden, noting that water prices alone have become a daily challenge, with the price of a five-barrel water tank reaching around 40,000 Syrian pounds.
He added that other expenses, such as education, healthcare, and transportation, have doubled the pressure, stressing that saving money has become impossible under these conditions.
“In the past, we could save part of our income, but today we can barely cover food and drink,” he said.
Al-Ali called for wages to be linked to a stable exchange rate or for a mechanism that keeps pace with inflation, in addition to laws that protect workers from exploitation. He warned that the continuation of the current situation could lead to further social deterioration.
Daily suffering while waiting for work
Worker Mahmoud al-Salem, a porter at the central vegetable market in the Musherifa area (in al-Hasakah province, northeastern Syria), described a day that begins in the early hours of dawn, when he heads to the market hoping to find work.
Al-Salem said the wait can last for long hours, sometimes until evening, without securing any job.
“On many days, I return home without earning anything. When I do find work, the pay is very limited and barely enough to buy bread,” he said.
He noted that the abundance of labor compared with the scarcity of opportunities pushes many workers to accept low wages in the absence of alternatives.
Al-Salem said workers are forced to accept any job offer, no matter how low the pay, to avoid returning to their families empty-handed. He called on the relevant authorities to find real solutions, such as direct support or the creation of more stable job opportunities.
Hard labor and inhumane conditions
The nature of daily wage work in al-Hasakah is harsh. It includes carrying construction materials, moving furniture, and working in excavation, tasks that require intense physical effort. Workers are forced to stand in public squares for long hours, under the summer sun or in winter cold and rain, waiting for someone to hire them.
Intense competition among workers, caused by the lack of job opportunities, also drives wages down. This opens the door to exploitative practices by some employers, who impose unfair conditions with little oversight.
On the outskirts of al-Hasakah city, Sami al-Hussein works in a concrete block factory, spending his day among cement sacks and thick dust.
He starts work in the early morning and continues until sunset, in a work environment that lacks even the most basic safety standards.
“The work here is extremely exhausting. I feel it drains all my energy, yet the wage is not enough to meet my family’s needs,” al-Hussein said.
He added that he earns around 50,000 Syrian pounds a day, about $3.8 based on an exchange rate of 13,200 Syrian pounds to the US dollar, an amount that quickly loses value because of price fluctuations.
Al-Hussein said his hopes of securing a good education for his children have retreated under the pressure of daily life.
“All I think about now is how to provide food for my family,” he said.
Women enter the labor market despite social constraints
In a scene once uncommon in al-Hasakah, women have entered the labor market, especially in strenuous agricultural work.
Amina al-Khalaf, a worker in her thirties, said she was forced to work after losing her husband, in order to secure a source of income for her family.
Al-Khalaf works cleaning and sorting agricultural crops, spending long hours under the sun for a wage based on production volume. She said she had never imagined working in this field, but it has become the only available option.
“Despite the difficulty of the work and society’s view at times, I feel proud that I can support my children,” she said.
She noted that women have become an important part of the labor market amid increasing economic pressure and the absence of breadwinners in many families.
Interlinked causes behind the crisis
The workers’ crisis in al-Hasakah stems from several factors, most notably the continued deterioration of the local currency, the absence of investment projects that could provide stable job opportunities, and weak oversight of the labor market.
The lack of effective legislation to protect workers also worsens the crisis, as many workers have no legal safety net to guarantee their rights, whether in terms of wages, working hours, or safety conditions.
Proposed solutions to improve conditions
Social researcher Adnan Ahmad said addressing the workers’ crisis requires a package of urgent measures, foremost among them linking wages to the US dollar or to any stable index that keeps pace with inflation, in order to preserve purchasing power.
He also stressed the importance of passing legislation that protects workers from exploitation, sets a minimum wage, and regulates working hours. He said development projects must be launched to provide permanent job opportunities instead of relying on temporary work.
Ahmad added that improving working conditions should be a priority, through the provision of safety equipment, the establishment of organizational centers that connect workers with employers fairly, and the provision of rest areas that ensure the minimum level of human dignity.
As the world prepares to celebrate International Workers’ Day, al-Hasakah workers remain preoccupied with their daily challenges, trying to survive and secure the minimum requirements of life, while waiting for solutions that could restore some measure of stability and dignity.
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