Fruit picking? Are they f***ing serious?

[emmcan]

So whichever hapless muppet got dragged out today to do the daily lying to the gullible has suggested that furloughed workers could br picking fruit.

Fuck me, how fucking badly run is this shitshow?

The reason that we have had a two decades of migrant workers doing these jobs is because British people are too lazy and incompetent to do them.

And now they expect furloughed workers to head out into the fields and get their hands dirty?

It will happen, in a fashion, as they will just stop paying money to people who refuse to work, but it will be an appalling form of slave labour.

I disagree that British people are too lazy it incompetent. But I agree it's outrageous - not everyone lives near a fruit farm and have no caring commitment.

Without pickers we’ll starve. The World Food Programme estimates that COVID will push an additional 125 million people into starvation this year. Food production across Africa and Asia has largely ceased. Supply chains are broken. Countries are imposing export restrictions on food.

Without pickers, we’ll starve.

Eh?

i also disagree that British workers are incompetent

and also, this is last weeks news

The penny has suddenly dropped that there won't be so many willing EU migrant workers and they think that by suggesting furloughed workers do it they will be showing how leaving the EU is a good thing for people without work whilst also providing work for the people expected to be made redundant in the coming months. It's all very underhand.

The analogy that the British are too feckless and lazy makes my blood boil.
Apparently tens of thousands of British people have applied and been ignored.
They are not attractive to the greedy farmers and supermarkets who exploit foreign workers! Workers who live piled up in caravans in appalling conditions and are paid the so little they will work 14 hour shifts to make ends meet.

Some people will do it. My brother is furloughed and is living at my family home in the country. He is very keen to do fruit picking, and so are a few of his mates in the same situation - he wasn't able to before due to the government rules. So it might not suit you but lots of people will be happy to do it

I agree with the lazy comment. The amount of furloughed people I’ve spoken to who moan they are bored but haven’t given a thought to doing anything to help out. There’s lots more furloughed people doing nothing than doing something to help from what I can see.

@beebeedandelion

It will be compulsory. No furlough pay if you turn down ''essential work''.

Ah yes, the post-Brexit strawberry, picked by wholesome British patriots. £1 each, £10 a punnet.

This has NOTHING to do with coronavirus. You voted for it.

British people are too lazy and incompetent to do them.

It sounds like you're the gullible one who's swallowed all the lies fed to you.

The reason that we have had a two decades of migrant workers doing these jobs is because British people are too lazy and incompetent to do them.

False, the reason why you buy cheap food is because neoliberalism means that it is cheaper and more cost effective to have eastern europeans fruit picking and living on site (that they have to pay for).

The only hapless muppet here is you even peddling this nonsense when it's clear you have no real understanding at all.

Maybe start to follow different people on twitter so you can expand your knowledge a bit, as it's obvious you do not have the capacity to critically analyse anything yourself.

I have the opposite issue. I live near Tarletan in the NE and in response to a village FB post, I applied to help pick fruit or sort it in a greenhouse etc. Apparently I am too qualified!! And for anyone who asks, I knew it was minimum wage when I applied and I was just happy to do my bit. I'm thinking I don't fit the demographic required...?

I don't see what the problem is if you live anywhere near a farm. I did this as a teenager and when I was a child and we were really struggling we went as a family and did it.
My self employed db has applied to do it while he can't earn money.
I don't see what the problem is. It is important work. Where there is work to be done and people available to do it..
For years migrants have been coming to the UK(and every other rich European country) to do it.

People will do it. They’re just being picky about British people doing the job. I known personally that people have offered to do the work and been refused.

*I live near Tarleton in the NW (not NE)

People should be paid a decent wage to pick fruit, but everyone will have to start paying a reasonable price at the supermarket.

I’m sure there are some who would be happy to give it a go but plenty of others who have been told not to work while on furlough(my DH for example). Also we don’t live near anywhere like that and they like people to live on site so are they going to be making furloughed workers leave their family?

Yabu saying that British people are too lazy. The problem is the conditions that fruit pickers work in are tantamount to modern slavery not that British people are too lazy to be enslaved.

Yanbu to say that George Eustice can feck off with that bs.

Apparently tens of thousands of British people have applied and been ignored.
They are not attractive to the greedy farmers and supermarkets who exploit foreign workers! Workers who live piled up in caravans in appalling conditions and are paid the so little they will work 14 hour shifts to make ends meet.

This.

It’s also back breaking work, so your average middle aged people who are used to office work, who are then thrown into manual labour, bending down, carrying heavy boxes, few breaks, long hours, are going to really struggle with a job like this.

They can’t withhold furlough pay unless you take on work - that’s not what furlough is.

@mssmith901 I'm near tarleton too and looked into it as I've been made redundant. But as I have no childcare and DH still working I cant do the hours they want.

Hi Katie how are you doing?

Two planeloads of Romanian farm workers have already been flown into Stansted, I believe, with more to follow. They are already trained, fit and capable, and could be used to train British staff as well. Living on site at isolated fruit farms, they are v little risk in terms of Covid.

but it will be an appalling form of slave labour.

How entitled do you have to be, to think people should put their hands out and just be paid. If you don’t want to pick fruit quit and claim benefits.

Slave labour, are you kidding? There is always choice

• The analogy that the British are too feckless and lazy makes my blood boil. Apparently tens of thousands of British people have applied and been ignored. They are not attractive to the greedy farmers and supermarkets who exploit foreign workers! Workers who live piled up in caravans in appalling conditions and are paid the so little they will work 14 hour shifts to make ends meet.*

👆🏼 What she said.