Bulgarian workers/Keelings - read OP (threadbans listed)

gormdubhgorm · 17-04-2020 07:52AM

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.

quokula wrote: »

The lockdown doesn’t and has never affected people who need to get to work in order to keep the rest of the country fed, regardless of their nationality. I would have thought this goes without saying.

Exactly, quokula anyone who is involved in the food industry and getting food on shopping shelves is classed as an essential service.
To me this whole thread reads like an overblown Adrian Kennedy/Chris Barry phone show with a chance to have a go at the 'forriners'.

It is strange that the OP is not asking the question why Keating's has to resort to hiring Bulgarians?
I would surmise they are a lot cheaper and paid a lot less than any Irish person would be, or be willing to be paid.

Tacitus Kilgore · 17-04-2020 07:52AM

Coveney seems to be well connected, first he was married to the Beef Barons daughter, now he's riding Jim Keeling.

I hear himself, DOB & Larry Murphy drown kittens together too

paw patrol · 17-04-2020 07:52AM

timetogo1 wrote: »

So what's the argument here?

1: Don't give them food and board?
2: Pay them more?
3: Only hire Irish people who already have food and board (presumably with parents).

Each question has answers that are not black and white.

1: I'm not mad about that. They'd be going out into the community more then.
2: I'm fine with that. The price of our food will go up or we'll import more from other countries.
3: I'm fine with that too. If they can't get Irish workers then what? Automate and increase the cost of production or import our strawberries from abroad.

I presume Keelings aren't the only strawberry grower in Ireland. What do other producers do?

I live there, the workers from the farms are out in the community daily.
Your point 1 isn't relevant.

we are adding to the mix and keelings business is in tact while the rest of us are suffering mass unemployment etc... all for the "greater good" and the other hardship of the 2km rule.

whisky_galore · 17-04-2020 07:54AM

Tacitus Kilgore wrote: »

People shocked at how cheap food comes about, shocker

It's tiring having to explain simple economics to stupid people.

Nesta2018 · 17-04-2020 07:54AM

It's interesting to see the penny drop for many people in Ireland now, about how globalisation works.

Twitter is ablaze now with lefties complaining about the "far-right" and their opposition to Keelings hiring this flight of Bulgarian worker to pick strawberries. What are they saying, that importing cheap labour at the height of a pandemic and lockdown is somehow "left wing"?

They literally don't know left from right.

17-04-2020 07:54AM

Graham wrote: »

So you're saying it's ok to ship people around our heavily infected country without issue it's just foreigners isolating on a farm that are a problem.

Or something else?

You see there is always a bogeyman.

First it was the ski trips to Italy (gone and back before anyone knew it was in Italy)

Then it was Cheltenham (I agree, it was nuts to go to that)

Now it's Bulgarias brought over to pick fruit.

This pandemic is always someone else's fault.

Graham · 17-04-2020 07:55AM

paw patrol wrote: »

I live there, the workers from the farms are out in the community daily.

And your familiar with the arrangement for those that have just been flown in?

17-04-2020 07:55AM

It may not be palatable to some, but fruit especially is a time sensitive crop. By the time the systems were put in place to recruit local workers a large proportion of the crop could be rotting in the growhouses. In this case flying in workers who already had been hired to fill the immediate need is probably the right option. As long as they are also endeavouring to in parallel fill as many of the upcoming positions as possible form local workforce as season wont peak until June, giving a bit of time.

Gynoid · 17-04-2020 07:56AM

This is a laugh. You would swear most people are only finding out for the very first time that all their fruit and vegetables are not harvested by lovely Margaret and handsome hard working Benjy from the village over the way.
You know that wine everyone loves, the really good stuff from renowned valleys in France...ye better sit down before I tell you who has been picking the grapes these past many decades.

completedit · 17-04-2020 07:56AM

Nesta2018 wrote: »

It's interesting to see the penny drop for many people in Ireland now, about how globalisation works.

Twitter is ablaze now with lefties complaining about the "far-right" and their opposition to Keelings hiring this flight of Bulgarian worker to pick strawberries. What are they saying, that importing cheap labour at the height of a pandemic and lockdown is somehow "left wing"?

They literally don't know left from right.

It's about humanity. Not vilifying people. That's where the left and right differ(sometimes at the extreme end) But it's a good point overall. Made me think.

weldoninhio · 17-04-2020 07:56AM

Scotty # wrote: »

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.

What has any of the above got to do with them importing people to pick strawberries?? :rolleyes:

timetogo1 · 17-04-2020 07:57AM

paw patrol wrote: »

I live there, the workers from the farms are out in the community daily.
Your point 1 isn't relevant.

we are adding to the mix and keelings business is in tact while the rest of us are suffering mass unemployment etc... all for the "greater good" and the other hardship of the 2km rule.

OK so. I live nearby too. I haven't noticed them, but I wouldn't really I suppose.
So don't give them food and board and let them rent locally (i.e. probably anywhere in North Dublin)? Is that what you're suggesting?
The point that I was implying with that is one, they'll definitely be spread out more (presumably renting a room in random houses). At the moment they have to do the same social distancing we all have to do, can't really do that if they're renting a room
and two they'd need to be paid more.

17-04-2020 07:57AM

Elmo wrote: »

I don’t know I have found that keelings fruit isn’t great.

It's a fcukin joke Elmo !

Tacitus Kilgore · 17-04-2020 07:58AM

timetogo1 wrote: »

OK so. So don't give them food and board and let them rent locally? Is that what you're suggesting?

They wouldn't have a hope of paying market rents on their pay, not unless there was 40 of them going into a 3 bed semi.

IvoryTower · 17-04-2020 08:00AM

I work for a food processor like keelings, the work in the factory wouldn't be quite as hard as picking fruit but irish people cant/wont do it. Of 250 factory staff, zero irish. The odd one that makes it to the point of being offered a job, doesn't show up when they realise how much hard work it will be. They would prefer to be on the dole and I probably would myself tbh.

stoneill · 17-04-2020 08:01AM

It simples.
Keelings needed workers, couldn't get them here, got them elsewhere.

Elmo · 17-04-2020 08:01AM

Tacitus Kilgore wrote: »

They wouldn't have a hope of paying market rents on their pay, not unless there was 40 of them going into a 3 bed semi.

We assume those 3 people are from the same household in Bulgaria.

17-04-2020 08:02AM

paw patrol wrote: »

I live there, the workers from the farms are out in the community daily.
Your point 1 isn't relevant.

we are adding to the mix and keelings business is in tact while the rest of us are suffering mass unemployment etc... all for the "greater good" and the other hardship of the 2km rule.

Going by your post your unfortunately out of work due to this pandemic, so are you going to go for a job with keelings given the you live so close to them it'd be handy and you'd get out of the house?

weldoninhio · 17-04-2020 08:03AM

Heart Break Kid wrote: »

Has anyone ever picked fruit or flowers. It’s not fun, anyone with experience of it in Australia can tell you. Probably more of a case many wouldn’t do the job. The wages the Bulgarians get probably go a lot further.

Anyone ever see the form type residence they have on the farm. Always wondered what it was like. Would get loads of folks coming from Eastern Europe buying SIM cards with st Margaret’s as their address

Mod snip: Why would you post that?

timetogo1 · 17-04-2020 08:05AM

Tacitus Kilgore wrote: »

They wouldn't have a hope of paying market rents on their pay, not unless there was 40 of them going into a 3 bed semi.

I know that. So then the only logical option remaining is only hire locals. If that fails then what? Just accept that strawberries are to be imported in future?

Tacitus Kilgore · 17-04-2020 08:05AM

Elmo wrote: »

We assume those 3 people are from the same household in Bulgaria.

Wut?

olestoepoke · 17-04-2020 08:05AM

stoneill wrote: »

It simples.
Keelings needed workers, couldn't get them here, got them elsewhere.

Thats fair enough but were they tested for the virus or lockdown for 14 days when they got here? It was a reckless thing to do given the situation.

17-04-2020 08:06AM

timetogo1 wrote: »

I know that. So then the only logical option remaining is only hire locals. If that fails then what? Just accept that strawberries are to be imported in future?

Basically yeah,local place.near me used grow strawberries/other fruit and veg couldnt compete/was losing money,its all in grass now and used for dairy

(Though mechialisation and automation,offers some hope in this area too)

Pretzill · 17-04-2020 08:06AM

Irish people may not work picking for the remuneration offered to already existing foreign workers - I would hope that during an Emergency young people would be only too happy to do it and get paid - afterall many travel to Australia to do the same for part funding their stay.

Keelings, however, have flown in 189 people during a pandemic who may it may be isolating now - it's irresponsible - actually could be dangerous. I have always thought their fruit was overpriced so it won't be hard for me to boycott them.

Tacitus Kilgore · 17-04-2020 08:07AM

timetogo1 wrote: »

I know that. So then the only logical option remaining is only hire locals. If that fails then what? Just accept that strawberries are to be imported in future?

I'd say - Keelings will ride out the outrage until something else pops up on facebook, people will forget and move on - they'll still want their strawberries so nothing will change.

gormdubhgorm · 17-04-2020 08:07AM

Gynoid wrote: »

This is a laugh. You would swear most people are only finding out for the very first time that all their fruit and vegetables are not harvested by lovely Margaret and handsome hard working Benjy from the village over the way.
You know that wine everyone loves, the really good stuff from renowned valleys in France...ye better sit down before I tell you who has been picking the grapes these past many decades.

I am a Dub/Jackeen myself and assume you are not with the 'ye'. I have culchie cousin farmers though, so I am not completely ignorant to the agricultural industry.
Personally I would like a farmer to start a thread 'ignorant Jackeen's/Townies don't know how thier food arrives on shelves'. Just for the craic.
There has been way more whining on boards lately I noticed, the lock down is sending a lot even sillier than usual.

weldoninhio · 17-04-2020 08:09AM

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.

I don't think I've ever bought strawberries. Wouldn't notice if hey were gone from our shelves. Could grow some out the back if I need some.

ted1 · 17-04-2020 08:09AM

Scotty # wrote: »

I've seen them do it Ted. Working in teams to maximise efficiency. I used to have a great video of two of them picking strawberries at a rate of 6 seconds a punnet. Might be on an old phone, I'll see if I can dig it up tomorrow.

Well this is what one of the Bulgarians says”

The pickers are paid based on the pick rate for the day. For example today the pick rate for strawberries is 15kg p/h. If the picker picks 15kg p/h or less he gets paid the minimum wage, but he can be paid more if he pick more fruit. For example if he picks 30kg p/h he will earn double. We never got paid less than the minimum wage.“

https://www.reddit.com/r/ireland/comments/g2r0z5/i_am_a_bulgarian_who_has_worked_for_keelings_in/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

weldoninhio · 17-04-2020 08:10AM

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

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.

Keelings own statement stated that these people are here to pick strawberries.

average_runner · 17-04-2020 08:10AM

olestoepoke wrote: »

Thats fair enough but were they tested for the virus or lockdown for 14 days when they got here? It was a reckless thing to do given the situation.

They will be restricted to the site where they are. So their movement will be more restricted than ours.

I feel sorry for them, they are coming to a more dangerous country than their own for the Corona virus.

Bulgarian workers/Keelings - read OP (threadbans listed)

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