Seasonal Farm Worker Shortage

ManOfSussex · Jun 23, 2017

Gwylan said:
I'm not sure what you mean by alleviate it. Surely, if the farmers have been banging on for months about a shortfall and they're still going on about it, then the farmers need to get their act together. I could understand their complaints if there were restrictions, but there's nothing stopping them getting workers from the EU at the moment ... just they could last year and the year before.

It sounds like we need better, more organised, farmers than fruit-pickers if it's really the case that there's a shortage.

There was a proposed trial non-EU Seasonal Agricultural Work Permit being issued this year, which wasn't rolled out in full. The problem is EU workers were already leaving last summer, a major shortfall for this year was anticipated and farmers can't recruit from outside the EU as the unskilled visas to issue aren't there for them to do so.

DumLum · Jun 23, 2017

beorhthelm said:
east european labour is not necessarily "cheap" labour, its efficient labour. people from rural backgrounds that dont complain about getting up early, working a long day, in a physically intensive job. while there are bad employers and bad practices, the majority will be paid decent money and soak it up, go back to their country and do no work for several months.

the irony is that many youth will happily go to France and do the same work as part of their gap year, but wouldn't dream of doing the same in Lincolnshire.

How much of the decent money is then paid back to the farmer in rent?

vegster · Jun 23, 2017

Brighton Mod said:
Its time the politicians put out their costings and ask the British public how much they would be prepared to increase their taxes and cut their pensions, to increase the quality of public services. We can have what we want, but we have to pay for it and then face the consequences, the politicians should then be made to stick to the budget allocated, now thats real democracy not the fake, deceiving fiction that we are plied with every election.

If I was paid 10% more I would have no problem with 3% of that going to the government towards public services... However, my boss may be a stumbling block.

Gwylan · Jun 23, 2017

ManOfSussex said:
There was a proposed trial non-EU Seasonal Agricultural Work Permit being issued this year, which wasn't rolled out in full.

Probably because there's no need for one yet. There are no restrictions on EU workers - there's absolutely nothing stopping employers recruiting from eastern Europe (or wherever). There won't be next year either.

ManOfSussex · Jun 23, 2017

Gwylan said:
Probably because there's no need for one yet. There are no restrictions on EU workers - there's absolutely nothing stopping employers recruiting from eastern Europe (or wherever). There won't be next year either.

True. For some reason they're not coming here now though in the numbers they did.

daveinprague · Jun 23, 2017

Two Professors said:
Nice try,but I think you will find they are warehouse and logistics jobs.A cherry-picker,for example,is not literally someone who picks cherries off a tree.

Im aware of that. Are you actually saying theres no fruit picking jobs on that list?
Looney asked for a link. That link has fruit pickinig and packing jobs on it.
As you say. Nice try. TBF they were tricky to find.. you had to type Fruit Picking Jobs UK.
Not easy at all

http://uk.jobrapido.com/?w=fruit+pi..._BMM&utm_agid=3639653963&utm_kwid=29653615892

https://jobs.trovit.co.uk/index.php...wUkcA85usZqsBoPAVMfV55dhqhSmGOuLd5RoCgXHw_wcB

https://www.indeed.co.uk/Fruit-Picking-jobs-in-England

hans kraay fan club · Jun 23, 2017

ManOfSussex said:
True. For some reason they're not coming here now though in the numbers they did.

Amongst other reasons:

1. A perception that their rights here have changed.
2. A climate of increased hostility towards them, and their families.
3. 'Lower pay' in relation to their home currency due to the nosedive in the value of the Pound.

looney · Jun 23, 2017

daveinprague said:
https://www.totaljobs.com/jobs/fruit-picker/in-south-east

So you cant find any fruit picking jobs then?

looney · Jun 23, 2017

daveinprague said:
Im aware of that. Are you actually saying theres no fruit picking jobs on that list?
Looney asked for a link. That link has fruit pickinig and packing jobs on it.
As you say. Nice try. TBF they were tricky to find.. you had to type Fruit Picking Jobs UK.
Not easy at all

http://uk.jobrapido.com/?w=fruit+pi..._BMM&utm_agid=3639653963&utm_kwid=29653615892

https://jobs.trovit.co.uk/index.php...wUkcA85usZqsBoPAVMfV55dhqhSmGOuLd5RoCgXHw_wcB

https://www.indeed.co.uk/Fruit-Picking-jobs-in-England

Picker/packer is a term for warehouse work and has nothing to do with fruit picking.

Lincoln Imp · Jun 23, 2017

Bwian said:
Ah, Lincolnshire. One of the regions at the heart of the Brexit campaign. It's all working well for them by the looks of things. Next thing you know they'll be complaining about staff shortages in hospitals making them wait for their appointments.

I believe they have started already. It would be hilarious if it wasn't so sad.

daveinprague · Jun 23, 2017

looney said:
Picker/packer is a term for warehouse work and has nothing to do with fruit picking.

Keep not seeing them.. its funny.

For example, tell me how this doesnt match your criteria? Im sure you will attempt some other feeble excuse for it not being what you asked for.
https://www.cv-library.co.uk/job/206059499/Strawberry-Pickers?s=102502

looney · Jun 23, 2017

daveinprague said:
Keep not seeing them.. its funny.

For example, tell me how this doesnt match your criteria? Im sure you will attempt some other feeble excuse for it not being what you asked for.
https://www.cv-library.co.uk/job/206059499/Strawberry-Pickers?s=102502

well it took you 6 hours to find one, which is one more than I found years ago. I contacted the NFU and they said most labour wwas sourced from overseas. Thats the only Union that gives money to the Tories and represents 40% of farmers, usually the big ones.

daveinprague · Jun 23, 2017

looney said:
well it took you 6 hours to find one, which is one more than I found years ago. I contacted the NFU and they said most labour wwas sourced from overseas. Thats the only Union that gives money to the Tories and represents 40% of farmers, usually the big ones.

No, it really didnt.. There were fruit picking jobs in the earlier links. For the sake of saving face on NSC, you refused to see them.

Gwylan · Jun 23, 2017

hans kraay fan club said:
Amongst other reasons:

1. A perception that their rights here have changed.
2. A climate of increased hostility towards them, and their families.
3. 'Lower pay' in relation to their home currency due to the nosedive in the value of the Pound.

All of these may be true (although I don't believe the first one, immigrants generally have a very clear idea of what they can and can't do). But to go back to the question I originally asked Man of Sussex, what steps are we meant to be taking to alleviate the situation?

The government is certainly not encouraging citizens to be hostile and it can't interfere in the currency market - the last chancellor to do that ended up a laughing stock. So much so, that the right to set interest rates was removed from political interference.

I don't see what we as citizens or the government can do to make things different (short of abandoning Brexit - and that's a complete non-starter).

portslade seagull · Jun 23, 2017

Wages have been driven down by overseas workers doing this work. They will have to rise which will mean higher prices probably. They have been making nice profits underpaying for years though

Two Professors · Jun 23, 2017

daveinprague said:
Im aware of that. Are you actually saying theres no fruit picking jobs on that list?
Looney asked for a link. That link has fruit pickinig and packing jobs on it.
As you say. Nice try. TBF they were tricky to find.. you had to type Fruit Picking Jobs UK.
Not easy at all

http://uk.jobrapido.com/?w=fruit+pi..._BMM&utm_agid=3639653963&utm_kwid=29653615892

https://jobs.trovit.co.uk/index.php...wUkcA85usZqsBoPAVMfV55dhqhSmGOuLd5RoCgXHw_wcB

https://www.indeed.co.uk/Fruit-Picking-jobs-in-England

Couldn't find any;

daveinprague · Jun 23, 2017

Yeah, it wasnt a good example, which is why i posted the 3 other links. You quoted them. If you want to deny theres job vacancies for fruit picking, you go with it. We will soon be in the sunlit uplands.

Baker lite · Jun 23, 2017

Two Professors said:
Couldn't find any;
View attachment 86567
View attachment 86568
View attachment 86569
View attachment 86570

christ that"s depressing reading, do firms actually get away with paying such shocking wages?what a shite world we live in.I hope any company that pays such disgusting wages goes under, utter,utter scum.

ManOfSussex · Jun 23, 2017

Gwylan said:
All of these may be true (although I don't believe the first one, immigrants generally have a very clear idea of what they can and can't do). But to go back to the question I originally asked Man of Sussex, what steps are we meant to be taking to alleviate the situation?

The government is certainly not encouraging citizens to be hostile and it can't interfere in the currency market - the last chancellor to do that ended up a laughing stock. So much so, that the right to set interest rates was removed from political interference.

I don't see what we as citizens or the government can do to make things different (short of abandoning Brexit - and that's a complete non-starter).

As I said The NFU were pushing for a Seasonal Agricultural Work Permit for non-EU citizens to be brought in this year and had written to various Government departments on this. They also did request clarity and an assurance on EU farm workers already in the UK having the right to return home and come back here also.

Harry Wilson's tackle · Jun 23, 2017

beorhthelm said:
east european labour is not necessarily "cheap" labour, its efficient labour. people from rural backgrounds that dont complain about getting up early, working a long day, in a physically intensive job. while there are bad employers and bad practices, the majority will be paid decent money and soak it up, go back to their country and do no work for several months.

the irony is that many youth will happily go to France and do the same work as part of their gap year, but wouldn't dream of doing the same in Lincolnshire.

100% This. I had a chat with [MENTION=11191]Pretty pink fairy[/MENTION] about this a while back. Where I live we are absolutely dependent on migrant labour. In my view I expected the brexit and the pre-brexit to put them off. They are mostly students here to earn a few quid, mostly from East Europe - young, fit, well behaved, well housed, taken to the local supermarket in a big bus for regular stock ups (largely of the 'low cost' brands.....) all jolly fun.

The locals have always eschewed the work. My neighbours opposite are Londoners who came down here as kids for summer hop picking (the locals wouldn't do it), and ended up moving here. But Londoners became less interested in this; demographic shifts . . .

It is not all about pay; its about who wants an adventure; who on he other hand is prepared to do back breaking work?

If we don't make it easy for folk to come as summer workers, however, the fruit and veg will wither on the bough and in the soil, and the garden of England will become a wasteland. There are solutions but it doesn't seem as if May has a clue.

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