Europe, Boring Until it's Not

[BjornP]

On Eastern European agricultural (and other) guest workers:

Companies operating in these sectors require cheap labour to remain profitable. To keep these sectors operating and prices down for consumers the EU and member states turn a blind eye to how they function, understaffing and underfunding labour regulators to the point where they lose all hope of reigning in exploitative work relations. This catches EU citizens, as well as ‘irregular’ migrants, in the lurch.

Subcontracting recruiters, employed by some of Europe’s largest companies, contribute to perpetuating practices that are detrimental towards EU employees from the eastern side of the continent.

https://www.opendemocracy.net/ana-maria ... kers-in-eu

According to industry experts, the problem with paying minimum wage for such physically demanding work means many local residents would sooner stay on benefits than take the meagre pay rise such work would offer.

Anyone working a 40-hour week would be paid around £165, or £179 if over 25, after tax and breaks were deducted, for such work.

Average weekly house rentals in Boston are £130.

They would then be looking the lowest weekly rent costs in park home accommodation in Boston of around £70, leaving them with £95 or £109 a week to cover food, utilities and other costs, if they also needed to pay the optional £7 transport fee.

[HarryK]

Nothing new in thy universe Bjorn. We all want it cheap, without getting our hands dirty. Farmers have way too much land per family member and like all industries they’ll cut every corner for an extra buck or two. And you’d think with all the new technological toys we would need day laborers.

Piffle.

[Fife]

All we need is just a little more regulation.

[HarryK]

All we need is just a little more regulation.

Regulation is not needed. Farmers can’t handle their own overproduction and come begging hat in hand to the US Dept of Agriculture for relief. You know those special people in the corn belt that dole out protection money every single year.

[The Conservative]

On cheap, US immigrant agricultural workers:

Now consider the costs. Low-skill workers, already struggling in our high-tech economy, would feel an even greater squeeze. Living standards for the middle class and the working class would further diverge, increasing social tensions.

New immigrant workers and their children would also use government services. According to the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey, 67 percent of households headed by immigrant farm workers use some form of welfare, with a majority on Medicaid and food assistance. An estimated 78 percent of the children in those households live in or near poverty.

https://www.nationalreview.com/2015/08/ ... low-wages/

I keep on saying, if illegal aliens can do the job, the criminals in our prison system can do it too.

[BjornP]

On cheap, US immigrant agricultural workers:

Now consider the costs. Low-skill workers, already struggling in our high-tech economy, would feel an even greater squeeze. Living standards for the middle class and the working class would further diverge, increasing social tensions.

New immigrant workers and their children would also use government services. According to the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey, 67 percent of households headed by immigrant farm workers use some form of welfare, with a majority on Medicaid and food assistance. An estimated 78 percent of the children in those households live in or near poverty.

https://www.nationalreview.com/2015/08/ ... low-wages/

I keep on saying, if illegal aliens can do the job, the criminals in our prison system can do it too.

And you want to reward the heavily subsidized, lobbying farmers with even cheaper labor, because...?

[HarryK]

Because he doesn’t know any better Bjorn.

[Okeefenokee]

On cheap, US immigrant agricultural workers:

Now consider the costs. Low-skill workers, already struggling in our high-tech economy, would feel an even greater squeeze. Living standards for the middle class and the working class would further diverge, increasing social tensions.

New immigrant workers and their children would also use government services. According to the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey, 67 percent of households headed by immigrant farm workers use some form of welfare, with a majority on Medicaid and food assistance. An estimated 78 percent of the children in those households live in or near poverty.

https://www.nationalreview.com/2015/08/ ... low-wages/

I keep on saying, if illegal aliens can do the job, the criminals in our prison system can do it too.

There's prisoner strike going on right now, btw.

[BjornP]

Because he doesn’t know any better Bjorn.

Yeah, you'd think he'd finally grown into his "The Conservative" name and looked for solutions that didn't involve making people more reliable on government assistence or creating a nationalized economy.

[HarryK]

Not my place to re-educate the ignorant. A lesson I learned early in life.

And when someone is smarter than me it’s time to shut up and listen.