Turkey to Grant Syrian Refugees Work Permits

Turkey is to issue work permits for some of the 1.5 million Syrian war refugees it is hosting, its labor minister said Thursday, dismissing fears it would harm local workers. “We will grant a certain number of our Syrian brothers work permits to allow their employment within a legal framework, without hurting the local workforce,” Faruk Celik told private NTV television. Celik said the measures are aimed to crack down on black market practices which force Syrians, including children, to work as cheap labor with no social protection. “We want to identify all those refugees so that they can legally work here,” Celik said. “It will have absolutely no affect on the chances of our citizens getting a job,” he added, responding to concerns that Syrian refugees would take jobs from Turkish citizens. The Turkish government has called on the unregistered Syrian refugees in Gaziantep to apply for health care cards and register their residence addresses. Also, the Turkish Interior Ministry called on the Syrian refugees residing in Gaziantep to apply for temporary ID cards before November 17. It is worth noting that Turkey, which has adopted an “open door” policy with regard to Syrians fleeing Assad’s killing machine, hosts around 1.65 million refugees who most of them are living in Turkey’s biggest cities. Turkish government also provide education and health services for Syrian refugees free of charge. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Al Arabiya)