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.

People also shitting on about the "reasonable" wages, never take into account that farmers charge £57 a week for a bunk in an old porta cabin or caravan. Cooking and washing facilities are often inadequate for the number of workers (12+ hours in field then waiting for your turn to shower/cook).

Aside from the fact social distancing is all but impossible in such communal accommodation.

@WeWantSweet Yes it's utter bollox, proven by how many people have tried to sign up. I always knew it was bollox that British people wouldn't do fruit picking, as there are loads of us that do it rurally, mainly teenagers in the holidays.

The only reason farmers prefer to take on workers from other countries isn't because they're 'trained' (the job takes about an hour of training at most, and they'd have to go over it anyway) it's because they go through an agent overseas so get around paying minimum wage, and maybe get a subsidy. I'm a bit of a leftie but I don't like stuff that's inaccurate.

There’s lots more furloughed people doing nothing than doing something to help from what I can see.

To be fair... my friend is furloughed, young fit chap in his early 30s with his own van. He put a post up on FB saying if anybody needed anything - elderly / vulnerable / lone parents needing shopping, or people needing lifts to and from hospital either to work or for appointments due to the cut bus service, let him know. He can't take on paid work as against furlough rules.

You should have seen the torrent of abuse he got for it.

There's a killer virus on the loose, don't ya know?

Conditions have gotten worse for fruit picker since the 80s though. Using companies from eastern Europe as go between means they can pay workers less than uk minimum wage. Pickers pay for their accommodation which reduces pay even less. They are paid by amount picked, rather than hours so workers can 'choose' to work as many hours as possible to make as much money as they can because the pay is so low.

Wow, so it's okay for us all to pay for a few billionaires to furlough their own staff but the ire is directed at the furloughed employees instead? People have swallowed this type of fascist bullshit hook, line and sinker.

How has this thread has not been taken down.

I hope one day people aren't permitted the anonymity of the internet so racists can be called out for what they are.

We have always relied on itinerant workers to pick fruit. For sometime like a whole century.

If the billionaires weren't able to access the furlough scheme their employees would be made redundant. Which do you prefer?

They are being paid to sit at home and do nothing.

Well, if you follow that line, why not conscript prisoners to do it then? They're doing nothing and are being housed at taxpayer expense?

According to Country file program 36,000 people across the U.K. applied but many dropped out after the second stage of the application and only 116 have gone on to actually work on the farms.

They [billionaires] could try dipping into their own pockets first. They would still have plenty left to live on.

How about they do their part in this, too, Tone, and pay their employees from their person wealth. Prince Charles is.

Slave labour? How do you reach that idea? It's a job that pays a wage, maybe you believe you are above getting your hands dirty doesn't mean everyone feels the same way. I imagine you buy fruit and veg....you will be complaining the loudest when there is no fresh produce cos everyone is above the work and see it as slave labour.

There was a massive thread on this last week, and this seems to be covering the same ground, Brits are lazy, no we're not, you're racist. Send in the leave voters. I'd do it but have family. It's more skilled than you think. It's Groundhog Day here these days.

How about they do their part in this, too, Tone, and pay their employees from their person wealth

Morally of course they should. But in real life we all know they wont.

I laughed my arse off at this one.
Fucking muppets.

It is definitely not ok for eastern European people to do it either btw, that's the point.

it will be an appalling form of slave labour

Can you explain what you mean by this please, perhaps I'm misunderstanding.

Fruit picking is an honest days work for an honest days pay. If people are being paid at at least NMW then I'm not sure why you think it's slave labour. It's a job. Why should people be given handouts when there are availabloe jobs for them to do to pay the bills?

I thought that they were offering them £15 an HR as well as keeping their 80% pay. I'm surprised people haven't taken the govt up on the offer.

I'd do it, but we have no fruit farms gees, I've already looked. To be honest, I'd do it in a heartbeat with a smile on my face as I'd be surrounded by miserable brexiteers, getting what they voted for. 🤣

I also disagree with the greedy farmers comment. I used to go out with a farmer. It is actually shocking how much the farmer gets for his product after the factories and supermarkets have squeezed as much as they can out of the deal.

LellyMcKelly "why wouldn’t you want to help out our great British farmers with their great British food?" Yes why wouldn't you? Do you have a problem with 'British' famers?

Do you realise the workers have to live on site away from their families with money for lodgings deducted from their pay? And that 1000s of brits who are willing to do this have applied and heard not a jot?
Hey why not send those who have lost their jobs to the workhouse and be done with it.

"as they will just stop paying money to people who refuse to work" that's exactly how employment works you know. You'll have to face this when you leave home.

According to Country file program 36,000 people across the U.K. applied but many dropped out after the second stage of the application and only 116 have gone on to actually work on the farms

I’m interested to know whether the truth is that people “dropped out” at the second stage of the application -ie. it was their choice,

Or

This version from pp:
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