Bulgarian workers/Keelings - read OP (threadbans listed)

Atlantic Dawn · 16-04-2020 11:31PM

I was pissed off when I saw the travellers on RTE News yesterday attending a funeral with zero social distancing, this is worse.

martingriff · 16-04-2020 11:32PM

ruwithme wrote: »

Completely understandable why keelings would bring in worker's from abroad. in 2 weeks time these workers will hit the ground running.

sure isn't anyone who was in employment in Ireland prior to lockdown in receipt of social welfare payment for now.

Unlikely would give that up for a few weeks picking fruit and be unavailable to your employer should things change positively in the weeks ahead.

Bingo. Lets say on the 5th Shaws BT and clothes shop open where will Kelling be. Who knows there maybe some legal problems with going for a job while off work due to the virus and what they can claim and maybe give back.

I also agree there be a fair few who would not do it anyway

Scotty # · 16-04-2020 11:32PM

DelaneyIn wrote: »

Are these workers paid Irish minimum wage, or are they paid a by sub contractor in their home country?

They are paid on piece work. That is, they are paid according to how much they produce. This is a great method of paying staff because it means you get no slackers. These folks will work every hour they are allowed and the good ones will earn huge money.

I lived beside Keelings for years. These workers will spend no time mingling in the local community. They work, they sleep, they work. They'll basically be self isolating all summer as they do every year.

At the end of the season they will move on to do they same thing throughout the winter somewhere else and return next summer.

The downside is, they don't contribute a lot to the local economy.

Jinglejangle69 · 16-04-2020 11:33PM

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

I was pissed off when I saw the travellers on RTE News yesterday attending a funeral with zero social distancing, this is worse.

First the foreigners, now the travellers.

Wonder who's next.

GT89 · 16-04-2020 11:33PM

Beyond a joke now at this stage

Tenzor07 · 16-04-2020 11:34PM

Jinglejangle69 wrote: »

First the foreigners, now the travellers.

Wonder who's next.

5G mast installation engineers?

Danno · 16-04-2020 11:38PM

Tenzor07 wrote: »

Your comments suggest that all of this was done without consulting the authorities in Ireland, seems unbelieveable to me...

Any busses and trains running in Ireland have most seats closed off to maintain distancing.

This plane had all its 189 seats filled.

Irish authorities are very lax when it comes to international travel... for some strange reason while motorway checkpoints are setup all over Ireland.

Tenzor07 · 16-04-2020 11:41PM

Danno wrote: »

Irish authorities are very lax when it comes to international travel... for some strange reason while motorway checkpoints are setup all over Ireland.

There's no regular scheduled commercial flights into Ireland currently.

Scotty # · 16-04-2020 11:41PM

Rows Grower wrote: »

I'm not assuming anything, I read your contributions and you disgust me with your ignorance.

You clearly don't understand why these workers had to be brought in. Food must be produced, even strawberries. They're as important as any other particular food. If you don't have a local workforce, then one must be brought in. Keeling aren't the first and won't be the last to do it.

utyh2ikcq9z76b · 16-04-2020 11:42PM

Danno wrote: »

Any busses and trains running in Ireland have most seats closed off to maintain distancing.

This plane had all its 189 seats filled.

Irish authorities are very lax when it comes to international travel... for some strange reason while motorway checkpoints are setup all over Ireland.

But all these people are staying in one group for isolation, they aren't all moving off individually

Atlantic Dawn · 16-04-2020 11:43PM

Tenzor07 wrote: »

There's no regular scheduled commercial flights into Ireland currently.

There are plenty, have a look at Ryanair.com.

Atlantic Dawn · 16-04-2020 11:44PM

Xander Alive Dune wrote: »

But all these people are staying in one group for isolation, they aren't all moving off individually

At what confirmed central location for 189 people? Will their food and entertainment arrive via Wifi?

Covid19 · 16-04-2020 11:46PM

Scotty # wrote: »

You clearly don't understand why these workers had to be brought in. Food must be produced, even strawberries. They're as important as any other particular food. If you don't have a local workforce, then one must be brought in. Keeling aren't the first and won't be the last to do it.

In normal times yes. Not during a bloody pandemic.

Danno · 16-04-2020 11:47PM

Tenzor07 wrote: »

There's no regular scheduled commercial flights into Ireland currently.

I didn't imply there was currently any commercial flights.

For much of March when there was commercial flights, there were virtually no restrictions - for a virus that had to have come in on a flight or a ferry.

Secondly, did you see the Dublin Airport footage of these 189 going through arrivals? No 2m social distancing at all.

My point about this whole debacle is the lax implementation of restrictions for foreign national workers arriving, while our own citizens are having their shopping bags checked. (perhaps theyre making sure we bought Keelings?)

Seems overtly lopsided, wouldn't you agree?

bigroad · 16-04-2020 11:47PM

Do the Irish government get a few quid from the euro union for taking workers in from poor euro countries.

Graham · 16-04-2020 11:48PM

Be careful what you protest for.

Farmers across Europe are warning that crops will be left to rot in fields in the absence of the usual migrant workers that arrive at picking season.

It may only be Strawberries for now but don't think for a second that's the only product that will be in short supply if a complete ban on migrant workers is implemented.

Spain, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the UK. The need for pickers is only going to increase over the coming weeks.

Scotty # · 16-04-2020 11:49PM

Covid19 wrote: »

In normal times yes. Not during a bloody pandemic.

That's when they're needed most!

(The workers that is, not the strawberries

)

Tenzor07 · 16-04-2020 11:49PM

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

There are plenty, have a look at Ryanair.com.

99% of RA's fleet are grounded with limited flights until the 23rd and a 14 day quarantine period for returning travellers.

Danno · 16-04-2020 11:51PM

Xander Alive Dune wrote: »

But all these people are staying in one group for isolation, they aren't all moving off individually

So, if even one of them has/gets Covid-19 then some north Dublin hospital is likely to see a notable jump in admission.

Does Keelings have health insurance in place for such an event should it happen?

billie1b · 16-04-2020 11:51PM

Tenzor07 wrote: »

DHL load bars on flights?? :rolleyes:

Yes, their base is just up the road from the airport and they are contracted with Ryanair for all bars and catering going onto and coming off flights, that, OCS and fuelling are the only things Ryanair ground crew don’t do in Dublin.

Melanchthon · 16-04-2020 11:53PM

Economically what's the rational behind this being exempted. As far as I know all outdoor construction sites are closed which is a far bigger impactor on the economy than the strawberry crop. Strawberries aren't an essential service, this doesn't make much sense really from a pandemic point of view or a economic point of view, 188 construction workers will out far more money into the Irish economy than 188 migrant workers with no more risk provided social distancing is observed and arguably the service they provide is as important as strawberries being on the supermarket shelf.
I agree that outdoor construction probably should close but I don't see why this situation is happening at the same time.

Scotty # · 16-04-2020 11:53PM

Danno wrote: »

So, if even one of them has/gets Covid-19 then...

and the very same could be said about any large food processing plant in the country.

Tenzor07 · 16-04-2020 11:54PM

billie1b wrote: »

Yes, their base is just up the road from the airport and they are contracted with Ryanair for all bars and catering going onto and coming off flights, that, OCS and fuelling are the only things Ryanair ground crew don’t do in Dublin.

So the flight came from Bulgaria, therefore DHL up the road from Dublin airport didn't load any booze onto the charter flight.

Skylinehead · 16-04-2020 11:54PM

Melanchthon wrote: »

Economically what's the rational behind this being exempted.

It's food. We need food.

There's no special exemption needed here.

Graham · 16-04-2020 11:54PM

Melanchthon wrote: »

Economically what's the rational behind this being exempted

I don't think it's economic.

It's essential.

From the Financial Times 3 days ago.

Josef Schmidhuber, deputy director of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s trade and markets division, said: “In developed countries which rely on immigrant labour, if the [coronavirus] crisis lasts for two months, the impact will be very severe.”

The numbers involved are substantial:

France is short of about 200,000 workers until the end of May
Spain has a shortfall of 70,000 to 80,000.
Italy needs about 250,000 seasonal workers in the next two months
the UK normally receives 70,000 to 80,000 over the season
Germany 300,000

ted1 · 16-04-2020 11:55PM

Scotty # wrote: »

They are paid on piece work. That is, they are paid according to how much they produce. This is a great method of paying staff because it means you get no slackers. These folks will work every hour they are allowed and the good ones will earn huge money.

I lived beside Keelings for years. These workers will spend no time mingling in the local community. They work, they sleep, they work. They'll basically be self isolating all summer as they do every year.

At the end of the season they will move on to do they s thing throughout the winter somewhere else and return next summer.

The downside is, they don't contribute a lot to the local economy.

Sounds pretty much like how slaves worked. Read what you said and tell me who that is allowed in modern Ireland.

Because you leave lives beside it for so long you have become blind.

Scotty # · 16-04-2020 11:55PM

Melanchthon wrote: »

Economically what's the rational behind this being exempted. As far as I know all outdoor construction sites are closed which is a far bigger impactor on the economy than the strawberry crop. Strawberries aren't an essential service, this doesn't make much sense really from a pandemic point of view or a economic point of view, 188 construction workers will out far more money into the Irish economy than 188 migrant workers with no more risk provided social distancing is observed and arguably the service they provide is as important as strawberries being on the supermarket shelf.
I agree that outdoor construction probably should close but I don't see why this situation is happening at the same time.

OK, Keelings don't only produce strawberries. The process a whole range of fruit. Are we to deem all fruit unnecessary? What about vegetables? They also process a huge range of veg.

Mrs Shuttleworth · 16-04-2020 11:56PM

So let me get this, persons ordinarily resident in the State (as the legislation reads) are not permitted to leave their place of residence under threat of prosecution but anyone from overseas not ordinarily resident in the State can freely enter and exit and transit through its ports and airports and move about within the territory of the State with no such restrictions?

Just who or what exactly is this "lockdown" facilitating?

Atlantic Dawn · 16-04-2020 11:57PM

Some reporter better ask questions about this at tomorrow's press conference.

Melanchthon · 16-04-2020 11:57PM

Skylinehead wrote: »

It's food. We need food.

There's no special exemption needed here.

Do we need Irish strawberries more than we need more houses? Not all food stuffs are the same, people go without Irish strawberries for most of the year.

Bulgarian workers/Keelings - read OP (threadbans listed)

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