Environment secretary George Eustice has come under sharp criticism after suggesting that workers furloughed due to the Covid-19 should go to the farms and pick up fruit and vegetables as a second job.
Speaking during a daily briefing on Sunday, Eustice shared his insights on how the impending shortage of workforce can be managed. At the moment, Britain’s agriculture is doing fine, yet “we do anticipate” the sector to experience troubles in June at the height of the harvesting season, the official stated.
“We estimate that probably only about a third of the migrant labor that would normally come to the UK is here, and was probably here before lockdown,” Eustice said.
We are working with industry to identify an approach which would encourage millions of furloughed workers, in some cases, to consider taking a second job helping to get the harvest in June
The potential lack of workforce in British agriculture has been a very hot topic, and launch of the agro-patriotic ‘Pick for Britain’ campaign has been rumored for some time already.
Eustice’s have therefore fallen on truly fertile soil, getting under fire from all the sides immediately.
Many argued that the minister’s proposal defeats the purpose of the whole furlough scheme, when the government is footing the bill for employees to pay their workers who stay home. While the furloughed staff technically may take a second job, they are allowed to do so only outside of the hours they would normally work – it is best to check with the current employer before doing so. Thus if you work from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, not much time is left to pick veggies.
I thought that furloughed workers were not allowed to work? Will this be one a voluntary basis?!
Some said that fruit picking is not that unskilled labor altogether and herding random white collars into it won’t do the industry any good.
The assumption here is that fruit picking is something that anyone can dip in and out of. It isn't. It's very tough physical work, and employers need people who can commit to sticking around for the season, to make training viable, not just for a week here or there. https://t.co/rfhgqNhLzl
Others suggested looming conflict of interests, pointing fingers at Eustice’s family business – which is a fruit farm - and accusing the minister of seeking cheap, or even free, labor for it.
George Eustice rubs his hands at daily Covid briefing on prospect of getting cheap labour for his families fruit farms. Stop cramming farmworkers into unfit living conditions, pay The Real living wage & allow unionised workforce.Problem solved. https://t.co/XmybWifi1j
It might interest you to know that member of the landed gentry and far-right Tory MP, George Eustice, also happens to own his own fruit farm & farm shop & here he is asking citizens to pick fruit for slave wages.
Many said that if the working conditions and wages in the agriculture were even remotely decent, the sector would not have to rely on foreigners in the first place.
I call on George Eustice to lead by example & go pick some fruit & veg himself for slavery wages himself, then maybe he’ll realise what backbreaking work many people are forced to do for pittance for their own survival! 😡💔🇬🇧 https://t.co/a3jVCa53g9
— 𝐒𝐲 𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐤𝐞𝐬 | #SocialistHeart❤️🌹 #UBINow✊🏼 (@syhawkes) April 26, 2020
The pro-EU crowd routinely blamed Brexit for all the turmoil in the agriculture sector and lack of workforce, taking little notice of the ongoing coronavirus crisis, however.
Good luck with that one. The Brexit British are far too entitled to pick mere fruit || George Eustice calls on furloughed workers to pick fruit and veg https://t.co/rtM5wjBgbb
— Diary of a frustrated academic 💻 🇳🇱 🇪🇺 🇬🇧 (@dutchscientist) April 26, 2020
“Instead of looking at those workers and pitting them against each other – Romanian hard-workers vs British lazy f***ers – the government could think about the power relations behind the exploitative practices,” Dr Lisa McKenzie, a sociology professor wrote in a recent piece at RT. “Such as extremely competitive supermarkets forever pushing the amounts they are prepared to pay for fresh fruit and food, forcing farmers to work towards ever-tightening margins and to seek to squeeze down on their costs. And so who ends up suffering? As always, the people at the bottom of the pile.”
The UK is among the worst coronavirus-affected nations with more than 154,000 confirmed cases and nearly 21,000 dead, according to the latest figures by the John Hopkins University.
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April 26, 2020 at 03:06PM
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Short of workforce for your farm? Environment sec Eustice gets shredded after calling upon furloughed workers to pick fruit & veg
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