Bulgarian workers/Keelings - read OP (threadbans listed)

weldoninhio · 17-04-2020 07:05AM

Scotty # wrote: »

What's vile exactly? Keelings have been bringing in seasonal staff for decades. They are absolutely essential to the fruit and veg production in this country.

Most of those coming in will have spent several summers in St.Margarets before and are highly productive. This is not simply 'picking strawberries' for pocket money. Most of these pickers are extremely efficient and highly experienced. Some can earn a serious living over the summer. You think Keelings want to recruit 200 'hairdressers' or whatever and have to train every one of them from scratch??

Keeling put them up so there's very little interaction with the outside community anyway.
Good luck with that. Almost all fruit AND veg in this country both imported and home grown passes through either Keelings or one of it's subsidiaries at one stage or another. They supply EVERY supermarket chain in this country.

1. Wrong. They are earning €40 a day.
2. Wrong. They are staying in Termonfeckin and were out around the town last night.

weldoninhio · 17-04-2020 07:06AM

plodder wrote: »

So, what are they supposed to do? Let the food rot because nobody can pick it.

Food supply is an essential industry and if they can't find people to do the work here then they have to bring them in from abroad.

Strawberries are in no way, shape or form essential.

17-04-2020 07:10AM

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Yes your dead right no Irish person would work for below minimum wage.

But we also want cheap food on our shop shelves, and there is no way that can happen without the producers using the employment methods they have been using for years.

If the company cant pay proper wages and still compete...its should be put down as non-viable,not be used as an excuse to drive down wages

Farmers get enough of a subsidy off CAP,they dont need one off their workers,be they bulgarians,irish or any nationality

17-04-2020 07:10AM

weldoninhio wrote: »

Strawberries are in no way, shape or form essential.

But migrant workers are not just brought in for strawberries alone, they are used to harvest a variety of food products.

And if that food supply starts to break down because of all this then we are in deep trouble.

17-04-2020 07:11AM

Deleted User wrote: »

If the company cant pay proper wages and still compete...its should be put down as non-viable,not be used as an excuse to drive down wages

Farmers get enough of a subsidy off CAP,they dont need one off their workers,be they bulgarians,irish or any nationality

So you want a whole food producer like Keepings shut down ?

Sober Crappy Chemis · 17-04-2020 07:11AM

leavingirl wrote: »

Do you get it, yet? Do you get it?

The lockdown is not for your safety.
I think this story is finally going to wake a lot of people up.

I couldn't attend a family funeral. But 200 Eastern Europeans are allowed to come into Irleand with no questions asked.

The Police State is disgusting and an attack on Irish people. People will have to be held accountable for this.

And that 5g .... and the teachers on full pay!

(Ps. I really wish your username was a promise)

completedit · 17-04-2020 07:15AM

People are so dumb and vile..and health care workers crying about this, doesn't mean anything, they’re health care workers, not economists.

Poor people, just making an honest buck by legal means and they are vilified.

Irish people aren’t lazy but when it comes to back breaking work, yeah we probably are. A Bulgarian can come here for a few months and then living like a king back home. They get some shekels, Irish people get strawberries, win win

17-04-2020 07:15AM

Snore. A friend of mine on twitter posted a big rant about this, with an alleged facebook post from his friend, Who works for ryanair.
That same guy hasn't had any issue before now with any flights coming into the country.
So why this one?

weldoninhio · 17-04-2020 07:15AM

Graham wrote: »

Better to leave food rot in the fields than risk chatter on Facebook?

Strawberries don't grow in fields brainiac!! :rolleyes:

17-04-2020 07:17AM

weldoninhio wrote: »

Strawberries don't grow in fields brainiac!! :rolleyes:

Lol, strawberries grow anywhere!
Farmers may grow them in houses, but they will grow anywhere

17-04-2020 07:17AM

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

So you want a whole food producer like Keepings shut down ?

If they cant compete and pay underlying costs,it isnt viable

Strawberries are one of few fruit,needs picking nowadays.....ive drove machines picking spudz,beet,carrots etc....helped a mate pdi apple picking machines,and a leek picker....its not exactly rocket science

Their putting all our health at risk,for their profits.....whole country stuck at home,everyone doing their best to not die/stay away from elderly relatives,no sport nor concerts etc allowed,

,and in fly 200 odd people to pick strawberries,a bit of perspective wouldnt go astray,before implying anyone againest this is a racist(not you,but it is openly implied)

17-04-2020 07:17AM

KR127 wrote: »

Flights are only about 10% full at a strecth...

this one was full of cheap labour coming to undermine the Irish labour market.

Did many Irish apply for the positions?
And why the big rant about covid then? If it's merely a labour issue

lawred2 · 17-04-2020 07:18AM

weldoninhio wrote: »

Strawberries don't grow in fields brainiac!! :rolleyes:

What? They are plants aren't they?

Gynoid · 17-04-2020 07:19AM

All this outrage.
That coffee and tea we are gasping for - what circumstances do we think allowed for it to be here for us? Those bananas, that avocado in the fruit bowl. The mangoes, tinned coconut milk? The rice, chillies, haricot beans in the tins. The mined ores that are behind our electronic gadgets. The brand name clothing. The cheap mass produced domestic appliances.
There is hardly one facet of our daily lives that has not been brought to us without the toil and sweat of abusively cheap if not enslaved labour.

17-04-2020 07:20AM

lawred2 wrote: »

What? They are plants aren't they?

They grow on vines/branches in tunnels/greenhouses,not fields....i picked em,when i younger

lawred2 · 17-04-2020 07:22AM

[Deleted User] wrote: »

They grow on vines/branches in tunnels/greenhouses,not fields....i picked em,when i younger

So did I. And I was in a field. Was a fruit farm just down the road.. they were a bit of a cottage industry though for the local area. Not a Nationwide distributor. This was over twenty years ago.

17-04-2020 07:22AM

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Their putting all our health at risk,for their profits.....whole country stuck at home

Id be interested to know why you think they are putting our health at risk?
Probably the Bulgarians are putting their lives at greater risk from us.
And the whole country is not stuck at home. Some people are working.

Sober Crappy Chemis · 17-04-2020 07:22AM

Gynoid wrote: »

All this outrage.
That coffee and tea we are gasping for - what circumstances do we think allowed for it to be here for us? Those bananas, that avocado in the fruit bowl. The mangoes, tinned coconut milk? The rice, chillies, haricot beans in the tins. The mined ores that are behind our electronic gadgets. The brand name clothing. The cheap mass produced domestic appliances.
There is hardly one facet of our daily lives that has not been brought to us without the toil and sweat of abusively cheap if not enslaved labour.

But, but .... it’s all fair trade these days so I have a clear conscience!

(Sarcasm)

Grumpypants · 17-04-2020 07:23AM

They are returning workers with specific experience, not cheap labor. They will isolate for 14 days and will be working at distance. There is very little risk to keeping an essential service going.

How many of those moaning on Facebook are going to be stuffing their trolley with fruit in Aldi over the weekend. Where do they think this comes from.

dundalkfc10 · 17-04-2020 07:23AM

Disgraceful scenes.

The govt should be ashamed of themselves.

They shouks get dole register and people on it longest should be told u have to work fruit picking or you are getting no free money anymore

17-04-2020 07:24AM

lawred2 wrote: »

So did I. And I was in a field. Was a fruit farm just down the road.. they were a bit of a cottage industry though for the local area. Not a Nationwide distributor.

You will grow alot more per area in a tunnel set up surely and not risk attack from birds??

Never heard of it in a field tbh :O....but that place i done it,is gone now and so is their veg,mostly ploughed back into grassland for dairying

completedit · 17-04-2020 07:24AM

Gynoid wrote: »

All this outrage.
That coffee and tea we are gasping for - what circumstances do we think allowed for it to be here for us? Those bananas, that avocado in the fruit bowl. The mangoes, tinned coconut milk? The rice, chillies, haricot beans in the tins. The mined ores that are behind our electronic gadgets. The brand name clothing. The cheap mass produced domestic appliances.
There is hardly one facet of our daily lives that has not been brought to us without the toil and sweat of abusively cheap if not enslaved labour.

It’s a good post but reality is, what we perceive as bad and terrible jobs, have helped people come out of poverty. So we have to be careful to not apply our standards to others.
I have problems with this but so far this system has been the best way of alleviating poverty. And it’s true that often these type of jobs will have high amount of demand.

Sober Crappy Chemis · 17-04-2020 07:27AM

Fun fact, strawberries don’t ‘know’ if they are growing in a tunnel or in a field!

whisky_galore · 17-04-2020 07:28AM

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Surely the obvious thing for anyone with isdue here is organise a boycott of any/all keelings products

If one of the workers coughs onto the fruit,how long deos virus live on that surface??

38 deaths in Bulgaria.

They're coming to work here in a country that's comparatively riddled with Covid.

weldoninhio · 17-04-2020 07:28AM

Graham wrote: »

Pandemic might kill us.

Starvation definitely will.

Nobody is going to starve from a lack of strawberries. :rolleyes:

17-04-2020 07:29AM

Deleted User wrote: »

If they cant compete and pay underlying costs,it isnt viable

Strawberries are one of few fruit,needs picking nowadays.....ive drove machines picking spudz,beet,carrots etc....helped a mate pdi apple picking machines,and a leek picker....its not exactly rocket science

Their putting all our health at risk,for their profits.....whole country stuck at home,everyone doing their best to not die/stay away from elderly relatives,no sport nor concerts etc allowed,

,and in fly 200 odd people to pick strawberries,a bit of perspective wouldnt go astray,before implying anyone againest this is a racist(not you,but it is openly implied)

Don't kid yourself that these practices are not even worse in other parts of Europe that we depend on to supply our cheap fruit and veg. Do you think your fresh iceberg lettuce in December is sustainably produced by fair labour practices?

https://www.dw.com/en/spains-sea-of-plastic-where-europe-gets-its-produce-migrants-get-exploited/a-47824476

Elmo · 17-04-2020 07:30AM

s1ippy wrote: »

My understanding, as told to me by a lad who had tried to get work with them, is that they get food and board on the site and by providing this the company then skirts paying minimum wage, as they're just helpers and not officially employees, only paying them expenses incurred and pocket money.

I thought the government had stopped people doing this with au pears (yes there’s another pun in that also).

the.red.baron · 17-04-2020 07:30AM

are they paying them for the 2 weeks of quarantine?

for the all those saying irish wouldn't last 5 minutes at the job go away and ****e, people haven't gotten any softer over the years, just your old brains have

half the old farts on here who lived in the country will have done this as a summer job when it was legal to exploit child labour

its not that hard the pay is ****e though, i'm sure keeings make plenty money off these peoples backs though

17-04-2020 07:31AM

bubblypop wrote: »

Id be interested to know why you think they are putting our health at risk?
Probably the Bulgarians are putting their lives at greater risk from us.
And the whole country is not stuck at home. Some people are working.

Mate,their flying 200 odd people in from abroad,and whole country isnt allowed go more than 2km from their house....in what world is that right

Unless they being in quarantine for 2 weeks before coming,they are risking health of people working/living here,fresh strawberries are usually sold day they picked,if one of the pickers is a super spreader and no sythoms,how long can virus live on surface of the fruit/packaging??

I dont think strawberries/any food that cant be harvested mechanically is worth risking peoples health with this virus over

weldoninhio · 17-04-2020 07:31AM

Scotty # wrote: »

Strawberries account for about 1% of what Keeling process. Almost all fruit and veg on supermarket shelves is processed by Keelings. Having a workforce to do that is essential. With all due respect...

Keelings own statement says that these people are here to pick strawberries. Other fruit and veg have nothing to do with this.

Bulgarian workers/Keelings - read OP (threadbans listed)

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