On the Ground in Ordu and Samsun: ILO Officials Evaluate and Advance Efforts to Eradicate Child Labour

ORDU/SAMSUN – Officials from the International Labour Organization (ILO) Office for Türkiye conducted a field visit to Samsun and Ordu on 10-11 September 2024 to meet with local stakeholders, partners, and beneficiaries, and to observe efforts to eliminate child labour on the ground.

As part of the "Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labour in Seasonal Agriculture in Hazelnut Harvesting in Türkiye" and "An Integrated Model for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Seasonal Agriculture in Hazelnut Harvesting in Türkiye" projects, which fall under ILO’s Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour in Türkiye, a delegation from the ILO Türkiye Office conducted institutional and field visits in Samsun and Ordu on 10-11 September 2024. The delegation included ILO Türkiye Director Yasser Hassan, Senior Project Coordinators Ayşegül Özbek Kansu and Mehmet Koray Abacı, and Project Assistant Zeynep Ekin Türker. The visits aimed to assess the ongoing project activities on-site.

During the visits, discussions were held with local stakeholders, social partners, families involved in seasonal agricultural work, agricultural intermediaries, orchard owners, and representatives of hazelnut companies. The delegation also toured the tent area in the Çarşamba district and the enhanced living conditions for seasonal agricultural workers and their families in the Terme district of Samsun province.

On the first day of the programme, the delegation paid a courtesy visit to Samsun Governor Orhan Tavlı. The discussions focused on the crucial role of local authorities in promoting decent work, the efforts to combat child labour under the ILO’s Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour, the conditions of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Project (METİP) areas in Samsun, and the activities of the METİP Coordination Committee in the province.

The delegation then visited Basri Uslu, President of the Samsun Branch of the Tarım-İş Union (Union of Agriculture and Agricultural Industry Workers of Türkiye), at his office. During the meeting, the discussions centered on the unionization of seasonal agricultural workers and their working conditions.

Following this visit, the delegation met with Süleyman Karabük, Secretary General of the Samsun Chamber of Commerce and Industry, along with Deputy Secretaries General Fevziye Yasemin Birsen and Oğuz Sandıkçı. The discussions addressed the issue of child labour in supply chains and explored the impact of the new global regulatory framework on responsible business conduct and due diligence obligations related to exports.

The first day of the programme concluded with visits to the tent area in the Çarşamba district and the improved living areas for seasonal agricultural workers and their families in the Terme district of Samsun. During these visits, the delegation met with families engaged in seasonal agricultural work and agricultural intermediaries. They also received updates from ILO’s implementing partner, Pikolo Association, regarding the activities conducted during the harvest season. Hazelnut producer Hüseyin Cahit Berk briefed the delegation on the challenges faced in the hazelnut sector and seasonal agriculture and shared his perspectives on the project activities aimed at improving the working and living conditions of seasonal agricultural workers.

On the second day, the delegation met with Dursun Oğuz Gürsoy, Chairman of Gürsoy Fındık and Vice President of the Black Sea Hazelnut and Products Exporters’ Association, in Ordu. Mr. Gürsoy provided an overview of the hazelnut sector and the company’s activities, followed by a discussion on the role of the private sector in promoting responsible business conduct and decent work. The delegation then visited the headquarters of the Pikolo Association in Ordu where they met with the Association's Chairman of the Board of Directors, Onur Torun, and other representatives to receive detailed information on field activities.