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 don't see why the servicemen and women sat at home can't do it.
My nephew has been at home for 6 weeks on full pay from the RAF. He'd happily go pick fruit, especially with his fellow RAF buddies.
It's crazy.
The government is paying him to do nothing when jobs need doing.

I know of a farm through a family member. Doesn’t require live in (although available if wanted), pays well over NMW and doesn't decrease the amount they pay on age.

Unfortunately for decades they have been staffed almost entirely by non-British workforce because they simply couldn’t get staff who didn’t think the work was beneath them.

Also if all furloughed workers started doing essential work and sending their children to school, what would be the point in keeping them closed? We're supposed to be keeping them home where possible. It's hardly a good idea for everyone to suddenly start sending their children in.

The amount of threads where people are bitter at furloughed workers for something that is beyond their control is eye opening. Some of you must have very miserable lives.

Crop picking has always been the last resort of the poorest , whether it was people from the East End of London in the 30s and 40s, gypsies, or students in the 60s/70s, plenty of people claiming benefits on the side and working cash in hand, then when that became less easy, it became the mainstay of migrant workers in this century. It's always been done by people whose existence is too precarious to even be called working class.

If local people have to do it because there is a labour shortage, then they should be paid a decent wage, at least £12 an hour, because it is horrible, back-breaking work in all weathers (it won't be sunny forever). They should not be expected to live on site unless it suits them, and if food is more expensive as a result, so be it. We shouldn't expect virtual slave labour from Eastern Europeans just so you can have a £2 box of raspberries on a supermarket shelf. How grotesquely racist and exploitative is that? Eventually this work can and will be mechanised, and the price will come down. The farmers and govts are just exploiting the desperate rather than paying for the scientific research and the machinery.

@Hairyfairy01 apart from shops who don't need free labour as they already pay people to do the job. If they got all the forloughed workers in then they wouldn't need to pay their actual staff. The rest need to be done by qualified people. Would you really want some uncaring person with no training answering a phone to a helpline. Or someone in a care home who wouldn't be caring in the slightest and wasn't qualified looking after the most vulnerable people ?

Maybe we should just ask if we can join the EU again



its only a small start of the myriad of problems we face because of brexit.

forced labour as a solution has been interesting to see.

Also if all furloughed workers started doing essential work and sending their children to school, what would be the point in keeping them closed? You do realise that not all furloughed workers have children? Some of the ones with children might have children old enough to look after themselves. Some furloughed families might have both parents furloughed so one could do childcare.

@1forsorrow yes, I'm aware. So if the furloughed who are able to and want to apply for those jobs, then that's great. I know a few people on furlough who have found other work.

But should they be forced to, when they are still employed but unable to do the job they are employed to do because of circumstances beyond their control? Absolutely not.

The amount of threads where people are bitter at furloughed workers for something that is beyond their control is eye opening. Some of you must have very miserable lives What has bitterness got to do with it? If you are a healthy adult and someone is handing you up to £2,500 per month why would you not want to do something when there are so many people who need help. There are people self isolating who are struggling to get shopping delivered, there are care homes that are short staffed, all sorts of things. Are some people so full of their own importance that they think they are above helping?

If childcare was not a problem (even if there was a creche on site), I would do it. More out of sense of social obligation rather than chasing a second wage. But then I am Eastern European and, according to some posters, naturally predisposed to crap living conditions and peanut pay.

Can't see the problem with suggesting it at all .Some will want to do it glad to get out of house ,some won't and some can't do it due to type of furlough contract they have.
Don't get the slave labour like many jobs its hard work for min wage.
As for the lies people need to look around the world practically country having the same problem . Its unpresidented we have not faced anything of this scale.
The problem is people think we can solve everything and solutions are instant .If you can imagine it it can happen instantly .
Endless criticism off People with the full benefit of hind sight and the lovely position of not having to make the decisions is just fucking unhelpful.

For those using childcare as a reason, if you were a fruit picker you would be classed as a key worker and therefore your children could go to school. I hope a lot of you will be much more compassionate towards people having to do these kind of jobs in future, many of whom are older and well educated. How about volunteering to work in care homes etc? Or is that beneath you?

1. Children only go to school 6 hours a day. Who looks after them around the rest of the 12 hour shift?
2. Why is it only furloughed workers who are expected to be compassionate towards fruit pickers etc?
3. Not wanting to do something doesn’t mean you think it’s beneath you. There’s nothing to stop working people volunteering in care homes too. Do you do it?

But should they be forced to, when they are still employed but unable to do the job they are employed to do because of circumstances beyond their control? Absolutely not. If they don't want to help should they take help? Are they really so precious that they couldn't do something quite simple like collect prescriptions, assist in schools or care homes. No one is forcing them to take the money. I don't think everyone should be picking fruit, I don't even think they should have to do a fulltime job but I do think it is reasonable to give something back.

I’m a furloughed worker & perfectly happy to pick fruit. However, would need to be reassured that I’m not breaching my original contract.

Am I allowed to leave my 11yo son for 9 hours at a time? Or is he supposed to pick fruit too?

Not wanting to do something doesn’t mean you think it’s beneath you. There’s nothing to stop working people volunteering in care homes too. Do you do it? Bit harder if you have a fulltime job though isn't it?

Endless criticism off People with the full benefit of hind sight and the lovely position of not having to make the decisions is just fucking unhelpful

thats funny because this particular problem was abundantly clear three years ago- the cost to the economy was clear the threat to the supply chain was clear- but brexiteers wanted it.

now sort it out.

@1forsorrow I'm sure a lot of people ARE doing those things. But re care homes - you're actually insulting carers by assuming that just anyone can get a job in a care home. It's been said numerous times on this forum - caring is an incredibly difficult job and not everyone is cut out for it. Would you want your elderly relatives looking after by someone who doesn't give a shit about them and is only there because they're forced to?

@1forsorrow so you would want any Tom , Dick or Harry working in a care home unqualified? By the time they did all the background checks and never mind the uncaring nature of a lot of people. I wouldn't want someone forced into looking after elderly people at their most vunerable time in their life. By someone who is repulsed by sick or shit and won't be able to offer them the compassion they deserve.

Am I allowed to leave my 11yo son for 9 hours at a time? Or is he supposed to pick fruit too? There are plenty of other areas that need help, it isn't just fruit picking.

Just seen that is was suggested the furloughed workers help out in schools. You have got to be having a laugh we can't let any random near our kids.

My Husband and I both applied weeks ago. No reply for either.

Since it’s unlikely I’ll get the chance, since March 27th, I’ve cleared and dug half our garden, planted and seeded veg, soft fruits and salads, cleaned out and disinfected a green house and filled it with seedlings, and busy growing as much veg as I can.
I imagine prices this year will be higher and since I may be unemployed, seemed like a sensible thing to do.

So NOT lazy!

so you would want any Tom , Dick or Harry working in a care home unqualified? By the time they did all the background checks and never mind the uncaring nature of a lot of people. I wouldn't want someone forced into looking after elderly people at their most vunerable time in their life. By someone who is repulsed by sick or shit and won't be able to offer them the compassion they deserve. There is plenty they could do to help without hands on care e.g. in the kitchen, doing laundry, but as I said there are lots of jobs do we really need to pick apart every one? Sounds a bit desperate, if people getting financial help really think they shouldn't have to do anything at least have the balls to say it straight out without all the excuses.