The COVID-19 pandemic has shuttered many businesses around the world, particularly damaging small-scale businesses and local tradespeople who were forced to close their doors due to lockdown measures implemented to curb the spread of the virus. Turkey, like many other parts of the globe, is struggling to fight a second wave of the outbreak and a new round of restrictions was implemented that further threatens local tradespeople and their businesses.
To combat this, industry and commerce chambers across the country have initiated a solidarity campaign to promote local producers and encourage both citizens and manufacturers to purchase from smaller businesses rather than global e-commerce giants and chains.
The motto "GünBirlikGünü" ("It is time to unite") was coined by Oğuzhan Ata Sadıkoğlu, chairperson of the Malatya Chamber of Commerce and Industry in central Turkey who posted a tweet on his Twitter account on Dec. 10, which has now turned into a countrywide campaign.
Sadıkoğlu, who is also a board member of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), said the country can only overcome the difficulties induced by the pandemic through solidarity.
"Our local tradesmen, whose competitiveness is diminishing against global and giant chain companies, are fighting to survive with the pandemic process. Our citizens should protect their tradesmen and companies in this difficult process," he wrote on Twitter which was later supported by nearly all chambers of commerce and industries.
Commenting on the campaign, Sadıkoğlu said that tradespeople are trying to overcome the difficult circumstances with the support allocated by the government; however, this alone is not enough.
He said now is the time for the businesses to pay back the loans they initially borrowed at the beginning of the pandemic and that they also have to pay rent, taxes and other expenditures.
"It is essential to support them," he said, noting the importance of Turkish companies meeting their supply needs using local producers as much as possible.
"We must keep our tradesmen and local producers, who contribute greatly to the economy with their taxes alive," Sadıkoğlu added.
Diyarbakır Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairperson Mehmet Kaya from the southeastern province of Diyarbakır, who said the call is essential, noted that the forced closures due to the pandemic-related restrictions have increased the tradespeoples' problems.
Emphasizing the importance of keeping small businesses running in this process, Kaya said: "Shopping from global e-commerce and giant market chains is comfortable for our citizens, but we should keep the tradesmen alive. Thousands of families make a living from these businesses. When we go shopping, we should also visit tradesmen."
Echoing the common sentiment, Necdet Takva, chairperson of the chamber of commerce and industry in the eastern province of Van, said these difficult times can only be overcome by uniting as a whole country.
"We must ensure that they do not suffer great damage in this process," he said.
2nd round of measures
The COVID-19 lockdowns brought business activity in Turkey to a near standstill, just like other countries around the world. Ankara shut schools and certain businesses, closed borders and adopted weekend stay-home orders after it reported its first COVID-19 case on March 11. The economy was mostly reopened in June.
However, with the rise in new cases, the government reintroduced several measures including partial lockdowns as of the end of November.
Recep Zıpkınkurt, chairperson of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in northwestern Edirne province, said: "If we meet one of our needs from the chain store, we have to meet one from the local one."
He emphasized that it is particularly important for production facilities to shop from each other to increase the chances of businesses surviving the pandemic while increasing the country's production capacity. Mehmet Büyüksimitçi, the chairperson of the industry chamber in central Kayseri province, was also among those who urged manufacturers to approach local producers to meet their supply needs.
"We, of course, are not against global chains. However, they survive with their corporate structures and financial management," he said, while local businesses are not able to.
Kocaeli Chamber of Industry, representing one of the most important industrial cities in the country, in northwestern Turkey, was among the chambers that backed the nationwide call. Its chairperson, Ayhan Zeytinoğlu said industrialists are currently experiencing a positive period due to increasing orders from abroad.
"However," Zeytinoğlu said, "the problem of our tradesmen and craftsmen is great. We stand by our tradesmen as industrialists."
He said "we are all on the same ship," and need to support each other to survive.
Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairperson Saim Alpaslan in eastern Ağrı province also urged mayors and all nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to support the campaign and raise awareness among citizens.
"The balances in world trade were harmed," Tekirdağ Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairperson Cengiz Günay from northwestern Tekirdağ province said, adding: "In this environment, global and national chains are more advantageous than a tradesman."
"Our tradesmen are the building blocks of the economy. We should not leave them alone against this global crisis. I invite everyone to do their part in this matter," he said.
Osman Gel, the chairperson of the commerce and industry chamber in southeastern Şırnak province, stated: "We must keep our tradesmen alive."
The total value of the steps to support the economy from the COVID-19 fallout reached TL 562 billion ($71.6 billion) as of November, according to previous statements by Vice President Fuat Oktay.
As part of the relief package announced in March, the government provided financial support to cushion the economic fallout from the outbreak. It had slashed taxes for hard-hit sectors and unlocked funding for workers.
As part of measures to support businesses, the country had postponed debt payments and reduced the tax burden on various sectors. It put forth a scheme that provides wage support to employees of companies who have been hit by the pandemic.
Turkey is soon set to launch a new support package to cushion the effects of COVID-19 on the economy and help tradespeople survive the second wave of the pandemic, Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan said at the end of November.