In Sivas, shoemakers who have devoted years to their profession cannot find apprentices. Gökhan Uygur, who has been a shoemaker for more than 40 years, said, "The work has increased, we work until late at night because there are no apprentices. I became the on-duty shoemaker of Sivas at night."
After the increasing shoe prices, the interest of those who want to have their shoes repaired has increased. The shortage of apprentices in the shoemaking profession in Sivas increases the workload in the workshops day by day. Due to the lack of apprentices, shoe repairmen continue to work until night hours to meet the intense repair demands. The workshops where children once came to learn a profession as apprentices during the summer holidays have now remained silent. Due to the lack of apprentices, the entire process, from customer reception to repair work, is carried out by a single master, while work that cannot be completed during the day is completed by working shifts that last until 00:00 at night.
Gökhan Uygur, who has been repairing shoes in Sivas for 40 years, stated that the bleeding wound of the profession is the lack of training of apprentices and said, "I became the night duty shoemaker of Sivas in order to complete the work."
"We are trying to fight alone"
Stating that people now want their children to earn money without difficulty, Uygur said, "I am 50 years old and I have been dealing with this business for about 40 years. The shoemaking profession is inherited from our fathers. The bleeding wound of our profession is that there are no apprentices. Nowadays, people who want to bring their children as apprentices demand very good money, even though the child does not know anything. Every family wants our children to earn very good money and get somewhere without having to do anything or have difficulty, but there is no such thing. Currently, people's thoughts are about material things." "We cannot find an apprentice because the money they receive for their children is not satisfactory. In this period, our work is busy. We are trying to struggle on our own. The apprentice's current job is to make tea for me and take care of the customer, but unfortunately, I am doing these jobs now, and we are trying to make shoes for the customer by competing against time."
"I call at night and ask, 'Is the shoemaker open?' they ask
Stating that he also works at nights to avoid inconveniencing the customers, Uygur said, "The work we do requires fine workmanship. Because of such a situation, I cannot complete it and work until 00.00 at night. Previously, families used to bring their children to us as apprentices when schools were on holiday, but they do not anymore. Due to this situation, we have now become night duty shoemakers in order to complete the work. I work until 00.00 at night to please the customers. Night duty shoemaker in Sivas I called at night and asked, 'Is the shoemaker open?' They ask and they send shoes and have them repaired at night. Our work cannot be completed during the day. We do not have customers who come just to have their shoes repaired during the day. When a customer comes, it takes me almost half an hour. When this happens, work is disrupted. You have to work at night and make the product that you will deliver the next day. "It doesn't grow any other way," he said. - SİVAS