New move from Özlem Çerçioğlu
Aydın Metropolitan Municipality has ended the sale of food products produced by women's cooperatives in Halk Ege Et stores. The decision has drawn a strong reaction from female producers. A cooperative president stated, "My heart cannot accept a female mayor persecuting her own gender."
12punto
Aydın Metropolitan Municipality's decision to stop the sale of food products produced by rural women in Halk Ege Et stores has drawn widespread criticism. The decision in question was evaluated as a major blow to the working women of the cooperatives.
RURAL WOMEN'S EFFORTS DISREGARDED
Women's cooperatives had been selling food products they produced in different regions of Aydın to contribute to their household economies in Ege Et stores for five years. However, with the latest decision, the sale of the products was stopped and the items were removed from the store shelves.
HEAVY REACTIONS FROM FEMALE PRODUCERS
Nihal Güler, President of the S.S. Ada Women's Production Initiative and Business Cooperative, stated that they did not understand the decision, saying, "My heart cannot accept the mayor persecuting women in this way." Güler said that officials from the stores selling their products had asked them to continue supplying products at last year's prices, but were eventually informed that the collaboration had ended.
Cooperative members documented the situation by recording their products being removed from the shelves with their mobile phones. This incident has caused great sadness among the female producers.
EFFORTS WASTED
73-year-old Ayten Beytor, who works at the cooperative, said, "Our efforts have gone to waste. Shame on them. We were using the money we earned here to cover our household expenses." A large portion of the women were using the money they received to contribute to their household economies.
"A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE UNDERSTOOD US"
Another female producer, Nadime Kaya, reacted to the incident by saying, "Since she is a woman, she should have understood our situation. We are very saddened that such a thing has happened to us."
PRODUCERS' CONTRACTS CANCELLED
Cooperative officials announced that with the new instruction from the municipality, the contracts have been cancelled. The female producers will no longer be part of the project they have worked on for many years.