A queue for a loaf of bread: I am 60 years old, in the queue for 2 hours for 1 lira!

Güneş GÜRSOY
Berfin TEPELİ
İstanbul

The worsening economic conditions, due to the pandemic, affects the buying ability of the people. As a result the line for cheap bread in front of Istanbul Halk Ekmek buffets is getting longer. People who are spending hours in the cold and rainy weather and they respond to us with questions; “how could you expect people to live on minimum wage? We are cutting back on where we can. We already got into the situation of not being able to afford bread, we even have to save to buy bread.”

We spoke to the people waiting at Sultangazi and Esenyurt Halk Ekmek, where bread is also distributed.

Our first stop is Sultangazi... A 60 year old individual, waiting in line for hours says “if the bread price is 2 Liras (in normal shops), then the waiting time is not important, as we will be waiting until we get it at the right price. There is a disease, there is stress and there is a price increase on everything. There is nothing we can do. They state that we should eat healthy to prevent disease, but what should we eat? We have many children, we need bread. We have to wait in line. Our children are working, that is why I have to come here. They are telling me not to, but what are we going to eat for dinner?”

Another woman waiting in line in spite of a hernia tells us “we are trying to save money wherever we can. Who would I be here waiting, if we had money? We are waiting here because we have to. We are only able to survive because of the occasional support we receive from our hometown”.

WAITING IN LINE IS MANDATORY

The woman next to her adds “if there were no support from the villages, we would not be able to survive. We have applied for pandemic related benefits but received no response (from officials). We are receiving our wages, the bank is cutting a share of it, another share goes towards paying the rent. I am left with 400 Turkish Lira. When we go to shop for food, we come back home without buying sufficient food. All prices of food have been raised. I came here leaving two children at home. One of my children is trying to get online for his school lessons through the phone, which is hard due to the poor internet connection. The other child is too young (to be in education). I am forced to wait in the queue here to get some bread. The government should be ashamed for putting us into this situation.”

It doesn't matter who we talk to, everyone is concerned with the rise in prices of goods. Another woman also adds “the people are here suffering because of the rise in prices of goods. The regulations under the current pandemic forces us to wait outside in the cold; what a shame. They have to increase the amount of bread sellers. We have been waiting in the cold for the last two hours. If there were no inflation, I also would buy bread for 2 Liras. Since the price increase, people are moving away from buying bread from their usual bakery to waiting in line for bread from Halk Ekmek. Luckily we are still able to find a way but, imagine those paying rent, who are unable to find food.” 

“EVEN BUYING BREAD HAS BECOME DIFFICULT”

At the end of the queue, there is a young man waiting. He argues that the reason for such crowds is due to increased cost in living expenses and adds “it would be an expensive decision for us to willingly pay 2 lira for bread in the shop. Due to the chronic illnesses of people at home, I am the only able person to shop for food. On top of that we have to wait because the bread is distributed very late, people are forced to stand side by side when queuing. Everytime I come, we make calls to encourage them to distribute the bread sooner. We are waiting for them to open up a few more stores. We are still waiting for this issue to be resolved. Due to inflation, we are even struggling to buy a loaf of bread.”

EVEN 1 LIRA MEANS A LOT 

Esenyurt is a poor district, where the workers and pensioners live. We also visit the buffets here. Fatma says “how can you live on minimum wage? We are trying to save on everything, we cannot even buy a loaf of bread. Think to yourself, if we are buying 5 breads a day, that makes 10 Lira. Here I have 5 TL. We are saving up to 150 Lira a month. With that money we have to pay our bills. We try to save money wherever we can, we always buy the cheapest items. We are going from store to store to find discounts. Luckily we do not have to pay rental fees, imagine those who have to pay rent.”

“EVEN BREAD IS DIFFICULT TO STOMACH”

A woman who is living on her brother’s disability pay states; “I was occasionally working as a cleaner. Due to the pandemic, this is no longer possible. It left us speechless, even bread is difficult to stomach. They tell us to eat healthy’. We are only able to eat fruit and vegetables  in our dreams. We cannot buy red meat and we have not bought chicken for a whole year. You cannot call this a life.”

THE WOMEN IN THE MARKET: WE CANNOT MAKE ENDS MEET

The women we spoke to at the market, told us that due to their rent payments, they are unable to make ends meet. They are hoping for minimum wage to be raised to a level that can ensure they can make ends meet. “If we raise our voice together, they will have to raise!” The women also complain that their children cannot find work.