Legal Status and Economic Membership of Seasonal Migrant Workers in Turkey

<p>International labour migration is one of the most debated topics at international and state levels. State policies usually focus on regular migrant workers under states’ jurisdiction, which often overlook seasonal migrant workers who are arguably one of the most neglected groups because of their temporary and complex status. This paper takes a cosmopolitan moral approach in this study and argues that seasonal migrant workers constitute a part of the host countries’ labour force contributing massively to states’ economy. Therefore, states ought to recognise these migrants by giving them a clear legal status, which bestows them economic membership with some rights. Thus, this paper analyses the membership status of seasonal migrant workers in Turkey at policy level through problematising the legal status of seasonal migrant workers within Turkish legislation. It also provides insights from the European Union (EU) policies on third country national seasonal migrant workers. For the analysis, the paper uses primary data from interviews and ethnographic observation collected in Turkey; and secondary data derived from legislations, official reports and literature.</p>