The city of Ras al-Ain in northwestern al-Hasakah has witnessed a significant improvement in the wages of daily workers, with the average daily wage rising from 30-40,000 Syrian pounds to between 80-100,000 Syrian pounds, an increase of over 110%.
The wage increase came as a result of repeated demands, rising prices of basic commodities, and the depreciation of the Syrian pound (the local currency) against the US dollar and the Turkish lira.
Each US dollar equals 15,200 Syrian pounds, and it is equivalent to 33.2 Syrian pounds against the Turkish lira, according to the currency specialist site “S-P Today.”
Demands for over a year
In recent months, workers protested the wages, considering them “insufficient”, while Enab Baladi has noted their complaints since last year.
Ahmed al-Zeidane, who works in construction in Ras al-Ain, told Enab Baladi that his previous wage was insufficient to meet his household’s basic needs, as his daily wage couldn’t even cover half of the necessities.
He added that he was forced to forgo some essentials like medicines and healthy food for his children, noting that landowners and industrial facility owners responded to the demands of the daily workers.
For her part, Fatima al-Qoreit, a day laborer in agriculture, said she did not know how to manage her household affairs, adding that this wage increase helped her reduce the financial pressure she was facing and prioritize her needs.
She pointed to the necessity of increasing wages periodically to keep up with the continuous rise in prices and the depreciation of the Syrian pound, to ensure a stable standard of living for workers.
Despite the increase, many workers considered it unsatisfactory and not in line with the rising prices of basic goods and services, still unable to cover their basic living requirements adequately.
Workers in Ras al-Ain considered the 100% wage increase unsatisfactory and not in line with rising prices – August 5, 2024 (Enab Baladi)
Employers object
Farmers considered that increasing workers’ wages raises the costs of agriculture, at a time when agricultural crops are experiencing successive losses, due to poor marketing and traders controlling the prices.
Farmer Fawzi al-Khidr said that the wage increase does not align with the difficult agricultural reality, noting that basic agricultural crops like wheat, cumin, and beans have not been sold yet, due to the absence of responsible entities to market the crops at acceptable prices.
He added that he and most farmers see the new wages as unfair, as the farmer bears substantial expenses beyond his financial capability.
He considered that the increase, under current circumstances, will add more pressure on farmers, which may ultimately drive them to abandon agriculture.
Workers in Ras al-Ain endure harsh conditions, facing the high summer heat and severe winter cold, working long hours that can extend to ten hours a day.
The existence of three currencies in circulation in Ras al-Ain city, northwestern al-Hasakah, places a heavy burden on residents and merchants and complicates their transactions. The local currency is the Syrian pound, which has experienced unprecedented depreciation, burdening the residents. The second currency is the Turkish lira (not widely circulated) due to the city’s proximity to the Turkish border, and the third currency is the US dollar.