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'm Atlas, holding up the whole world. I'm the turtle holding up Discworld. I cannot possibly pick fruit as well! Someone else needs to do it!

Thanks @TrainspottingWelsh. I'm not sure if you mean it or if you're trying to laugh at my attitude, but either way, my mind is made up - I'll still work on furlough, paid or unpaid. If you genuinely mean it then thank you for your suggestion. I've not tried this work on a farm before, but I would give it a go. I'm half decent at DIY, if that might be of (limited, I know) help.

My daughter has applied to be a fruit picker and is still waiting to be allocated. They did offer her a place in Perth, Scotland, we live on the channel coast in Kent. It would cost us more to get her there than she would bloody earn.

There are loads of arable farms around here, but when I enquired about crop picking, I got nothing back.

The farmers don't want British pickers, because they will expect to be given decent living conditions and not crammed into filthy caravans. They have also said that people are not allowed their own transport, to her. How the hell are you supposed to get to a farm in the middle of nowhere without transport?

For the record I am offended about the assumption that all British are lazy, only a percentage are and it's the same all over the world. You get lazy and hardworking people everywhere.

If I was furloughed I would be more than happy to pick fruit. Something to do, gets you out the house, helping the country.

Is it slave labour or are we too lazy? I think you need to pick ones...

I applied to pick asparagus and was told i am too old. Anyone over 35 finds it extremely back breaking- which I’m sure it is - was prepared to try anything as I needed the money.

Your post me laugh! Yes, I wouldn't put it past this government to force furlloughed workers (most of whom have never done any real manual labour in their lives) to toil away at back breaking work for 8 to 12 hours a day. I dont think British people are lazy per se , just not stupid to do this kind of work for sh1t money and it is verging on slave labour. Only young and fit British people could do it ...anyone else would get back problems and drop down with exhaustion after a week.

So - let me get this straight. We’re furloughing workers because it’s too dangerous for people to go to work and hence lots of businesses are on the brink of collapse. But, those same workers who are now safe at home are expected to go out and risk exposure to the virus by being around other people, mostly because we don’t have enough fruit pickers here, and a good chunk of that is because of Brexit? Fuck off. I’m not risking myself to earn a pittance because farmers voted for Brexit.

This thread is hilarious.

Welcome to Brexit. Covid-19 is a smokescreen. We would have had this problem regardless of the current world situation.

This is us; getting our country back; like we wanted; from those pesky immigrants stealing our jobs. It's part of the deal. It's what we, as a nation, voted for.

And it's just the tip of the iceberg

Of course farm work isn't "slave labour", it's hard work though.

"I’m not risking myself to earn a pittance because farmers voted for Brexit" yeah! fuck the farmers. We can get our food from supermarkets like we always did. lol

I’d heard that we’re flying in hundreds of Romanian migrants to do the crop picking; most probably because the farmers can exploit them. Those of you buying from “cheap” food outlets need to think on.

force people to work on farms, thats the spirit, anything rather than look again at the calamity that is brexit.

Maybe it might lead to food being properly priced if farmers have to up their wages. We eat too much and waste too much in this country anyway.

Fit healthy people should be pulling their weight.

It probably needs a bit more organisation, eg transport in from local big towns, temporary accommodation available (holiday homes that can’t be used currently requisitioned for these workers). There are loads of people out there with no caring responsibilities- I can begin by pointing out the group of 19/20 year old lads sat smoking weed in our local park every night. Maybe conscript these fuckers to get off their arses.

@lasttraineast - I’m not risking my health to come out of lockdown because of Brexit fucked up the fruit picking. The Government will have to sort out the problem another way without relying on right wing ‘blitz mentality’ messaging.

If nobody risked themselves for a pittance there'd be fuck all in the shops to buy, but it's always someone else's risk never the entitleds who think strawberries grow on Waitrose shelves

@Port1aCastis yep that’s right, I think strawberries grow on shelves at Waitrose. Honestly, give over. We’ve been told to stay at home because it’s too dangerous out there. Less people out there the better. I grow my own fruit and veg. I vote labour. I didn’t vote in this lot of complete imbeciles and I’m not risking my health during a global pandemic, it’s not like there will be PPE, or physical distancing - the government haven’t even sorted that out for doctors and nurses.

thats brexiteers, theyd rather bring the economy to its knees, dismantle our food supply, jeopardise scientific and environmental research, lose out on europol, lose int influence etc and now - forced labour.

all for the 'right kind of immigration' unbelievable.

I’d be more tempted to do it if they were at least honest about the cause of the problem, and if they guaranteed decent levels of worker safety. But they won’t do either.

Furloughed workers are already paid, a simple law change will allow them to work on farms without breaking any contracts.

Farms can afford to bus people in/out every day because they are getting free workers, so no need for them to stay overnight.

Workers can socially distance as farmlands are very big places.

If British workers are to lazy they can work part time / reduced hours, as farms can afford this due to the free Labour.

It will be good for middle aged peoples health, so less pressure on the NHS.

Given the incentive and a few more years, robots will be built that can do this work much more efficiently and we can go back to being lazy couch potatoes.

OP You’re very angry and very confusing!

Maybe some British people are lazy but a jobs a job and it isn’t slave labour if you’re being paid. It might suit the younger population. I’m not young and I have arthritis just about everywhere so it doesn’t suit me but I know my two teens with asd would love this kind of work!

No point in getting your knickers in a twist until the plan for loosening of the rules are introduced.

Let’s not stir Brexit into the Covid pot - there’s enough anger in the world!

I see everyone has educated you so anything I say would be repetition.

I particularly enjoy the comments about Brexit, they're bang on.

This sort of shit is what happens when you vote those pesky immigrants out when you don't have a fully rounded view of how the economy works in this country.

I see the immigrants are welcome now you need food and healthcare.... funny that.

Too f*ing right furloughed workers should be out fruit or vegetable picking or do we want even more lazy arses sitting around doing sod all relying on government handouts ?

@Oscarsdcaddy WTF? I’m sat here furloughed because I’ve been told I can’t work as it’s too dangerous - but now apparently not too dangerous? And as to the comments above that farmers can bus us to farms but social distancing is easy because farms are big places? Just such nonsense. Buses. Crowded. No PPE. No way I’m ‘getting off my lazy arse’ to fruit pick. My, how the time’s have changed. First everyone had to stay at home, and now we’re lazy if we do? There’s plenty of people out there who don’t give a shit about the virus, let them go.

@Oscarsdaddy RTFT hen