Strong Women at Beringharjo Market

Beringharjo Market in Yogyakarta is full of stories of strong women who earn money becoming buruh gendong (porters). Even though they have to do strenuous physical work until old age, they survive to support their family

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

Several female porters slept in front of a bank opposite Beringharjo Market, Yogyakarta, Tuesday (7/3/2023) early morning. Porters in the market each earn around IDR 50,000 per day from helping move goods belonging to traders or buyers.

Midnight had just passed. The atmosphere around Beringharjo Market was quiet. Only the bright street lights and the cold night breeze remained. In the shophouse opposite the market, dozens of women lay asleep.

They slept on thin mattresses or used sacks of rice. A number of T-shirts tucked into a tote bag turning into a pillow to support their heads. The night breeze was only held back by blankets and umbrellas arranged for protect.

At around 1 a.m., one by one the women who worked as low-paid porters woke up. Not long after, they started working and unloading vegetables that had just come to the market in pickup trucks from out of town. One of the woman porters who woke up early that morning was Pariyem (67).

With sleepy eyes, Pariyem walked up and down the steps while carrying vegetables on her back. From one truck, the load of vegetables that she unloaded could be 30-50 kilograms.

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The vegetables were put in a rattan basket, then tied with a scarf on her back. Walking slowly, occasionally she wiped the sweat that flowed from her wrinkled forehead.

“Yes, [I] sleep in front of the shop every day. It's cold, it's cold. But how else? I do this so that I can still go home with money," said Pariyem who was met on Tuesday morning (7/3/2023).

The woman from Kulon Progo Regency, Yogyakarta, felt that she had no choice. Her income as a porter is very limited, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic. In a day, she can only earn Rp 35,000 (US$2.27) to Rp 50,000. The return fare alone from her house to Beringharjo Market is Rp 20,000 per day.

Yes, [I] sleep in front of the shop every day. It's cold, it's cold. But how else?

Previously, Pariyem rented a house near Beringharjo Market, but this only lasted for a short time. For her, rented a house is impractical as she has to start unloading the vegetables around 1:30 a.m. every day.

“Better to stay at the market. I can immediately start working. All you have to do is wake up, wash your face, change your clothes, then get ready to work,” said Pariyem, who has been a porter since she was 18 years old.

The income of her husband, who farms shallots, cannot meet her daily needs.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

Female porter Pariyem (67) carries goods belonging to traders at Beringharjo Market, Yogyakarta, Tuesday (7/3/2023) early morning.

Rent

Another story is Sutinem (48), a porter who also comes from Kulon Progo. The woman who is known as Merit, rents a room near the market with two fellow porters. The rent is Rp 1.8 million per year.

Merit only needs to pay Rp 600,000 per year. This option is more economical than returning home every day to her house in Kulon Progo at a cost of around Rp 600,000 per month.

To be honest, I often miss my children at home.

The distance between Merit's rented room and Beringharjo Market is less than 1 km. Usually, she goes to the market on foot for 10 minutes. The simple rented room location is in a dense settlement area along the Code River.

Merit's rented room is approximately 3 meter by 6 meter. The rented room was packed with three beds for Merit and two of her friends. There is only a space as wide as an adult's body for the occupants to pass by. The room had no ceiling. The roof is already damaged. If it rains heavily, water drips into the room.

“To be honest, I often miss my children at home. However, if you go back and forth from Kulon Progo every day, you feel very tired," said Merit, who returns home at least once a week.

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Merit has been working as a porter for the last 15 years. This job supports the family's economy because the husband only works odd jobs.

Merit has another job option, which is to become a woven bag maker in the village. However, she was reluctant to do the job because she could not get money straight away. After the woven bag was finished, she would have to wait some time before getting paid. As a porter, she can immediately get money after unloading the items.

“I also want to stop one day and open my own business. However, from the first time I started working until now, it seems like the money has never been collected,” she said, laughing.

Inseparable

Porters are an integral part of Beringharjo Market. Their existence also has a long history. It is said that the existence of porters began with a group of people who served the priyayi (noble persons) to deliver kitchen supplies and other groceries to the Yogyakarta Palace.

Now, the number of female porters at Beringharjo Market is around 210 people. They are members of the Beringharjo Market Sayuk Rukun Female Porters Association. The ages of the porters vary, from 30 years to more than 70 years. Some of them are elderly women.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

A female porter Kasmi (51) works to move goods belonging to traders at Beringharjo Market, Yogyakarta, Tuesday (7/3/2023) in the morning.

Most of the female porters at Beringharjo Market come from Kulon Progo. They jumped into the profession after receiving information from neighbors. Apart from staying overnight at the market or rented house, there are porters who travel from Kulon Progo every day.

Chairperson II of the Beringharjo Market Sayuk Rukun Female Porters Association Isah Ponirah (49) said that the carrying workers in the market have their own work areas. The division of the work area was carried out based on the type of merchandise, namely clothing, meat, vegetables and crafts.

The working hours of the porters vary. Some of them start their activities in the early hours of the morning, but some start working in the morning until late in the evening. The average users of their services are traders and buyers in the market.

According to Isah, for one carry with a load of 30-50 kg, the porter at Beringharjo Market receives an average fee of Rp 5,000. However, if there are kind customers, they can be paid more.

A vegetable seller at Beringharjo Market, Tari (30), said that she was greatly helped by the presence of the porters who stay overnight in the market environment. Because she had to come early in the morning to display her stall, it is the porters who help unload the cargo.

Organizing

For years, the porters have been assisted by the Annisa Swasti Foundation (Yasanti), a non-governmental organization that fights for the rights of working women.

Director of Yasanti, Nadlrotussariroh, said that in 1992, the institute conducted research on porters at Beringharjo Market. After the research was completed, Yasanti assisted them in fighting for their rights until a group of porters was formed named Sayuk Rukun.

One of their successes is the provision of a special place in the market for the female porters to rest.

With this bylaw, it will be even better to pay attention to and take sides with fellow porters.

Now, the porters are starting to get the government's attention. In less than half a year, its existence has been acknowledged in the Yogyakarta City Bylaw No. 3/2022 concerning People's Markets. In that bylaw, the porters are referred to as one of the economic entities in the people's market who are entitled to protection and empowerment.

"With this bylaw, it will be even better to pay attention to and take sides with fellow porters," said head of the People's Market Division at the Yogyakarta Trade Office, Gunawan Nugroho Utomo.

This article was translated by Kurnia Siswo.