Turkmen public employees pay monthly fees to avoid cotton harvest

Public sector employees in Turkmenistan are paying between 20 and 380 manats per month to avoid forced labor in the cotton fields, according to reports from all four provinces as the 2026 season began on September 9. The mobilization is managed through a centralized system of "headquarters" meetings. In the Lebap region, district governors (hyakims) meet with officials twice weekly to set harvest quotas and track performance. Local administrators, including those in education, are assigned to oversee specific institutions; for instance, a single education department official may monitor five or six schools. To maintain a facade of voluntarism, heads of state institutions require staff to sign identical letters stating they are "voluntarily" departing for the fields to help fill state warehouses. In reality, failure to comply often leads to disciplinary action. Teachers who refuse to participate or pay for substitutes report that education department curators visit their classrooms specifically to find minor infractions, which serve as a legal basis for reprimands and eventual dismissal.