Bulgarian workers/Keelings - read OP (threadbans listed)

olestoepoke wrote: »

According to the latest results we have this thing under control, it's all pointless if we are going to allow dozens of untested people from a country as backward as Bulgaria (Ive been there twice). Why aren't we doing what New Zealand are doing? lock the country down for 2 or 3 weeks. No one allowed in unless they spend 2 weeks in an airport hotel , if you leave you are warned that you will spend 2 weeks in a hotel on your return. Extreme I know but this would allow our entire country to get back to normal, schools open, work etc. Now this only works if the whole island of Ireland is on board. Spray any imports with disinfectant. Do that for as long as it takes for this thing to resolve itself outside our country. Even if we eradicate the virus all it takes is one person travelling for places like Bulgaria or the UK.

Because New Zealand can survive on its own.

Ireland depends on its exports so we need our borders open.

Ideally yeah, put them in a hotel for 2 weeks, who will provide the security for it?

They will have more restrictions at the farm than we currently have.

lots of companies are suffering with current close down for the greater good

I would rather the fruit rotted in the ground than we bring in these workers with all the risks associated
if they get sick they will also take resources in the hse and possibly the scarce icu beds while working here

How many punnets of strawberries is a human life worth???

kravmaga wrote: »

Shame on Keelings Ltd.

Why did they not source local labour 1st before spending money on leasing an aircraft from Ryanair of workers from Bulgaria.

We dont know the medical backgrounds/ condition upon arrival into Ireland.

Were temp checks conducted at Dublin Airport on these workers from Bulgaria by DAA or HSE officials?

They have to pay for the accommodation for the workers from Bulgaria. Is this something which Keelings do every year or is this a new phenomenon.

I just don't get the decision made by Keelings HR Department/ Senior Management to bring workers in from another country when we have 500,000 out of work here in ROI.

I wont be buying their product going forward and this could turn out to be a very bad business decision for Keelings , this brings back memories of the famous Dunnes Stores strike in Henry street when the staff refused to sell South African fruit because of the regime in SA at that time in the early 80's.


https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/dublin-news/ryanair-dublin-airport-respond-concerns-18104529

Irish people would not in the number required at least do the same work for the same pay...be honest.
This will all blow over imo, I would think plenty of other companies are doing similar (they definitely are in UK with Romanian workers)

Strawberry Milkshake wrote: »

I’d say keelings will have to rebrand the berries and other items they have on the shelves. People won’t forget the name.

Bollocks. The the supermarket s would just import more from abroad, resulting in a bigger environmental and economic impact impact.
If you think Keelings behavior is bad have a look at the conditions in Spain, rampant exploitation of migrants combined with a disastrous environmental impact.

They pay a legal wage.

If they paid enough to encourage Irish people - what would that be, €20/hour? - then the cost of your fruit and your jam would double and people would be spitting feathers about rip-off Ireland.

seamus wrote: »

They pay a legal wage.

If they paid enough to encourage Irish people - what would that be, €20/hour? - then the cost of your fruit and your jam would double and people would be spitting feathers about rip-off Ireland.

Keelings are just an outlet for the bored & angry today, this might go on a day or two then it's on to the next boogeyman, whoever that may be -

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Why not let it rot? Every sector of society has to make sacrifices for the greater good. I laughed at their stupidity when I saw Britain flying in Romanians for the same reason. I’m not laughing now.

I am sure the irish people who work at keelings would love to see their company do down the swanny for as you put it the "greater good'

GarIT wrote: »

30,000 volunteered to do it for free in the UK to prevent people being imported according to another poster

Love to see a link to that.
I read they only got a tiny fraction of the applications from UK people they needed...hence Romanians etc being brought in to do work

ted1 wrote: »

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

Yes, and some will pick 2kg per minute. That's 4x minimum wage according to you. About €40/hour x 10-12 hours a day?

As I said already, these folks are not here because they are cheap. They are here because they are good at what they do.

You can apply yourself here > https://keelings.ie/corporate/careers-at-keelings/

Graham wrote: »

I assume most of our front line workers are sensible enough to understand that food supply is essential.

I am sure they do - so does most of the population; but I don't think it relates to this thread though.

"food supply is essential" doesn't explain why you would arrange a privatised plane to bring workers from abroad to pick strawberries in Ireland while the population is told that just walking over 2 km form their home is a public heath risk (let alone travelling internationally) and a massive numbers within the workforce already in the country just lost their job.

Assuming those strawberries are deemed absolutly essential to our food supply chain (which is arguable either way); if they are so critical it is hard to understand why the government, the employer, and the significantly unemployed workforce already in the country (regardless of nationality) cannot figure a way to get 200 workers lined up to pick fruits. It would be cheaper for the country as a whole, reduce the health risk, and frankly look much better in this situation.

If Keelings couldn’t get local staff to do it then surely they should have had to increase the salary on offer.

Whatever way you look at this- it’s ridiculous that they were allowed bring in a plane load of exploited staff on crap wages just to keep their profits high

average_runner wrote: »

Because New Zealand can survive on its own.

Ireland depends on its exports so we need our borders open.

Ideally yeah, put them in a hotel for 2 weeks, who will provide the security for it?

They will have more restrictions at the farm than we currently have.

Why do you need open borders to export? Do you know the difference between export and import? Providing security for people who come in and are lockdown will be a whole lot cheaper than keeping the country on lockdown. New Zealand has not ceased all its exports, they put anyone coming into the country in a hotel for 2 weeks quarantine, their imports are screened and sprayed. Their citizens are warned that if they leave they will be met by men in hazmat suits at the airport and escorted to a hotel for two weeks and guess what the country is up and running again. Do you work for Keelings? do you know how restricted they will be? where are they sleeping, on the farm? when they go home to where they are sleeping are they not allowed outside their digs? Are they allowed to go to the local spar or lidl or Tescos in the next couple of weeks ? Letting them in was reckless end of story.