What did Rishi mean when he said they can't protect all households?

[TopBitchoftheWitches]

Doesn't sound good imo.

But a person having no work in their own role doesn't mean fruit picking is a viable option for them Then the words literally redundant were incorrectly used!

And the government relaxed the furlough, UC rules to allow it. Transport etc would have been provided for anyone, just as they do for the foreign pickers. C

requires a degree of physical stamina which is the rub, isn't it? I picked and rogued as a child. I know how hard it is! I am in my 50s, have ME and live close to a couple of farms. I have volunteered to pick high level strawberries in the early mornings, I can manage 1 - 3 hours a day doing that and two local growers have said that he will have me for that job specifically, in a month or so!

They still need more of us to sign up!

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/government-pick-for-britain-drive-planned-to-launch-next-week_uk_5e8b35fcc5b6e7d76c678a59?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMS8xHW8z72M2undxjqU-IgZdFMT9k6dawpxUKYHPBbLq5odpieXgjEwcfJPfPKcPuDB_G7Lj0U_fKuVoVtzSD4d95ksYP61xv9tM5O-qO_9MAjvzpaBynIdYzuv84ik4Xq1jyDfzTlUrvAhr49NsCCbKa-S25K0USDeo2FxOwMu

@tontie it isn't much, but the work is fun, even with social distancing You don't work all that closely together under normal circumstances.

Locally it is £8.80 for 10 -12 hour days, £55 /week for accommodation. It really is hard work.

I am volunteering, taking home a punnet a day as my pay - but I do know the growers and have done this before.

That's £8.80 per hour, obviously!

Curious why do you think the words were wrongly used? I thought the term redundant simply meant no longer needed, and that's one of the definitions in the dictionary. It isn't necessarily the case that everyone in the group being discussed necessarily lives within viable transport distance of a farm needing workers either, and even if they did that would still leave some facing the childcare issue.

I like blackberrying as a hobby, FWIW!

In employment it means no longer needed, let go, sacked! So I took it as that! Apologies.

Not everyone needs to do it though, Just some, those whose family commitments allow!

You can take a temporary job when you’re furloughed. I was surprised but it could be a good idea if you think things will get tougher.

So do people get paid 8.50 an hour & pay £55 on top for accommodation? It's very low, I'm surprised they didn't increase it and save on the costs of flying people in

@CuriousaboutSamphire The accommodation is often substandard and not appropriate for social distancing - many bodies stuffed in caravans or portacabin dorms.

Portacabin dorms round here aren't bad. Not luxurious but safe, warm and airy.

We have a lot of semi permanent workers that work the fields and a local processing plant. They have been coming for decades and the same people return every year, some gain residency and stay. We have a high % of eastern Europeans, a busy social club and a couple of "Polish" delis.

I'm really not un aware of the issues but only have recent experience of local conditions.

I would suggest fruit picking is a viable option for all those GCSE and A level students who now have nothing to do. They are young and mostly healthy, so it's achievable.

However most won't have their own transport and are probably a bit young to live on site in portacabins - some will be only just 16 or not 16 until August.

So farm bosses may need to be flexible about shift timings (some sort of flexitime?) to allow lifts from family members, as bus services usually don't reach the areas where fruit picking is carried out.

when it was actually the late eighties

It was high all through the 80s. 14% in 1981