So who's going to pick our fruit?

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So who's going to pick our fruit?
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earthyvirgo

Joined: 24 Aug 2007
Posts: 7972
Location: creating prints in the loft, Gerlan

Posted: Mon May 19, 08 8:17 am Post subject:

toggle wrote:

FFS.

of course they aren't getting that much in benefits. for a start, you need to take tax/NI off that.

then they have to consider the extra costs that having to get childcare would bring, before and after school care, plus full time care in holidays, plus inset days and election days etc. plus time off when the kid is ill and can't go to school/nursery/childminder. https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7214704.stm

that might give you an idea.

Sorry, didn't mean to cause offense.

EV

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46240
Location: yes

Posted: Mon May 19, 08 12:09 pm Post subject:
iww

OP

Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 4661
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Mon May 19, 08 5:25 pm Post subject:

When I was growing up there were no migrant workers. I worked weekends and holidays on a local farm, probably being paid below the minimum wage (which I don't think existed then) and certainly in conditions that would these days warrant some kind of "risk assessment" (e.g. standing in a grain store whilst they poured more corn in, rather difficult to breath, or carrying 2 x 25Kg bags of potatoes at once because it was quicker that way). Maybe I was exploited, but I also earned a lot of money, and, perhaps more to the point, learned about hard work. So maybe the fruit farmers should recruit children.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Mon May 19, 08 5:54 pm Post subject:
Ditto above post. Justme

toggle

Joined: 30 Dec 2006
Posts: 11622
Location: truro

Posted: Mon May 19, 08 6:18 pm Post subject:
I had a choice of stuff like fruit picking or working in tourist trap catering type stuff. I would suspect the 14 hour shifts I was working were illegal then, the levels of hygiene defiantly were.

ros

Joined: 19 Jul 2005
Posts: 2469
Location: Beds

Posted: Mon May 19, 08 6:37 pm Post subject:
might not be very well paid, but these days I would have thought fruit picking was ideal work for teenagers in the long break between end of O's and start of September term for As. Was what we did.

Stacey

Joined: 18 Jul 2005
Posts: 8380
Location: Kernow

Posted: Mon May 19, 08 6:41 pm Post subject:
There's a long list of what children can't be employed to do on LA websites.

toggle

Joined: 30 Dec 2006
Posts: 11622
Location: truro

Posted: Mon May 19, 08 6:42 pm Post subject:

ros wrote:

might not be very well paid, but these days I would have thought fruit picking was ideal work for teenagers in the long break between end of O's and start of September term for As.
Was what we did.

I cleaned cages in a vet that summer iirc.

ros

Joined: 19 Jul 2005
Posts: 2469
Location: Beds

Posted: Mon May 19, 08 6:47 pm Post subject:

toggle wrote:

ros wrote:

might not be very well paid, but these days I would have thought fruit picking was ideal work for teenagers in the long break between end of O's and start of September term for As.
Was what we did.

I cleaned cages in a vet that summer iirc.

somewhat less legally than picking fruit I also worked behind a bar!

OP

Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 4661
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Mon May 19, 08 6:55 pm Post subject:

Stacey wrote:

There's a long list of what children can't be employed to do on LA websites.

Something has gone wrong somewhere in all this ... and our children - as well as our small local farms and businesses - are losing out. The good old days were not necessarily that good, but somewhere between then and now common sense went out the window and was replaced by local authority risk assessments.

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Mon May 19, 08 7:18 pm Post subject:

ros wrote:

might not be very well paid, but these days I would have thought fruit picking was ideal work for teenagers in the long break between end of O's and start of September term for As.
Was what we did.

Agreed. But people of that age aren't children. And I don't see why the age of a person should stop them being covered by the same health and safety at work regulations as anyone else.

ros

Joined: 19 Jul 2005
Posts: 2469
Location: Beds

Posted: Mon May 19, 08 7:25 pm Post subject:

Jamanda wrote:

ros wrote:

might not be very well paid, but these days I would have thought fruit picking was ideal work for teenagers in the long break between end of O's and start of September term for As.
Was what we did.

Agreed. But people of that age aren't children. And I don't see why the age of a person should stop them being covered by the same health and safety at work regulations as anyone else.

Definitely as long as elf and safety is applying common sense --and be paid the going rate as well. But why are they not doing it? parents don't allow it? kids don't want to work? school's starting A level course at the end of the summer term?

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Mon May 19, 08 9:06 pm Post subject:
Well the article that sparked this thread was dated 12th May. Exams go on until the back end of June. Actually, in my opinion many sixth formers work too many hours (mostly bar and kitchen work and waiting on tables here). I ask what they are doing at the weekend, hoping to hear tales of teenage hijinks and frolicking to hear "working Friday night and Saturday and Sunday".

toggle

Joined: 30 Dec 2006
Posts: 11622
Location: truro

Posted: Tue May 20, 08 7:05 am Post subject:

Jamanda wrote:

Well the article that sparked this thread was dated 12th May. Exams go on until the back end of June.
Actually, in my opinion many sixth formers work too many hours (mostly bar and kitchen work and waiting on tables here). I ask what they are doing at the weekend, hoping to hear tales of teenage hijinks and frolicking to hear "working Friday night and Saturday and Sunday".

I think this may also be part of it, those teens looking for work can find the jobs in restaurants or bars or shops and that is easier work than fruit picking.

OP

Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 4661
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Tue May 20, 08 7:12 am Post subject:

Well another difference between when I was a teenage farm labourer and now is that I was working because I wanted to ... not because I faced the prospect of going to university and coming out 3 years later with �30K of debts, which unfortunately seems to be the reality facing the new generation. I'm certainly not saying that everything was better back then, but something has gone very wrong somewhere.

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