@ Dr Jim 1044….
That’s a good rant Dr Jim. Well on the nose.
Back in the day berry picking was (weather permitting) a 6 week season.
Scotland was so poor, that in the one month of the year when the weather might be expected to be nice and other countries would celebrate with national festivities… Scotland turned out its children, its mill workers and its home grown itinerant workers – The Travellers – to pick crops for pennies. No security, no minimum wage, no accommodation – round Blairgowrie they literally slept under hedgerows. A busman’s holiday for the mill workers. School uniform money for the bairns.
Blairgowrie – with a population of under 10,000 – at one point had the highest rate of pubs per head of population (for all uk) to cater for the influx. About 10 years ago, there were still 27 on the go.
And the town would be jumping during the season, the Glasgow Mill workers, the Dundee Mill workers and the Traivlers – took tae the drink, then took tae the Wellmeadow in the evening, and then (one way or another) often took tae each other.
One elderly couple of spinster sisters, very respectable, used to book their holiday every year, and stay in the hotel overlooking the Wellmeadow. When the hotel moved them to a room at the back, they were most affronted and demanded their ‘room with a view’. They found the antics in the Wellmeadow terribly exciting.
Extra Polis were drafted in during the season. That doesn’t happen now – the furriners are often young students, looking to save for when they get home – they don’t create the same amount of disorderly conduct in any way, shape or form compared to what was.
And nearly all the Scottish adults (laterly – in the ’80’s) were on the bru. When the tax man came round, The farmer filled up the book with the name, John Smith, repeated over and over, for all his fruit pickers that day. Indirect subsidies for the farmer, but don’t call them scroungers or subsidy junkies.
Each farmer, considered it a badge of honour to be the hardest on their workers. I saw one farm, near Blairgowrie, owned by a very large Supermarket. They did actually have accommodation for their workers, a concrete byre, with no running water (never mind hot or cold), no toilets or showers, no heating and no windows, and certainly nothing as advanced as a kitchen.
So, now, with the advent of polytunnels – its a 5 month season. Well done to the farmers for building up a multi million pound export industry – and I do mean that, I’m not being sarcastic.
Tayside and Angus, takes in about 25, 000 eastern european workers for the berries. They get paid minimum wage, or better if they can (and many do) pick more on the piece rate.
One farmers best picker managed to save £7,000 for going home to Rumania, where it was to pay for her family and education. At that time (2 years ago) she would get x7 Rumanian currency for her £.
In the 5 months she was here, she shared a caravan with 3 others on the farm, each paid the farmer £40 per week. Each bought their clothes, food, groceries from Perth, and often, each saves up a bit and buys something like an iPhone, or car, or bigger, more expensive item they can’t get at home.
That farm, had over 100 caravans, each with 4 tenants. They get about 5 years of life out of each caravan.
In turn, the bigger farms, need to employ staff, to take care of the caravan site side of things. More jobs created.
About 10% stay on full time, at least for a couple of years. 2,500 people spread out over Tayside and Angus – drop in the ocean.
But hey, the farmer won’t miss them really, the local shops won’t see a drop in takings really, the caravan industry won’t see a booming industry take any kind of hit really.
And we can alway get the prisoners tae do it. Perth Prisons (one of the main ones in Scotland) houses up to 800 prisoners, medium to high security. Good luck with that one folks, and if you live near a berry farm, best start locking your doors.
So all in all, these furriners, coming over here, ‘stealing’ our jobs – no they haven’t, they’ve created a 5 month industry out of a hit or miss 6 week one, staffed up by school kids.
The furriners coming over here, causing a crime wave – no they don’t, they’ve actually reduced a Policing issue.
And won’t farm labouring be such a lot of fun with the removal of H and S and minimum wages and working time directives. ‘Cause you know Farmers, such a good track record on treating their workers decent when its all left up tae them.
But hey, Brexit, taking back control. Jam anyone?
