The lights are going out all over Europe

[kingfisher]

When I was a kid in the fifties I picked field beans in Suffolk.We kids got about half the adult rate for the same weight (about one and sixpence). It made me bitter and twisted for life.....

[keving]

Going off on a tangent, how much are you (as in all forum members) prepared to pay, for say a lettuce, if we pay everyone the "living" wage?


Shane

I'd pay £1.50 for a medium sized ice-berg lettuce

[ApusApus]

Going off on a tangent, how much are you (as in all forum members) prepared to pay, for say a lettuce, if we pay everyone the "living" wage?


Shane

I'd pay £1.50 for a medium sized ice-berg lettuce

So how much would you be prepared to pay a week for say your mother or father or another relative being in a care home & all the staff being paid at least the living wage?


Shane

[Dominic]

British women weren't/aren't afraid of hard work, in fact I consider it rather insulting to suggest otherwise.

As for cheaper labour, have any of you ever been fruit picking ? You don't demand a rate of pay, farmers aren't known for their generosity. The money paid was a pittance, but if that's your only income, it's better than nothing.

Which is completely irrelevent to the argument where you claimed that it was motivated by racial prejudice.

[Cogs123]

I might be mistaken but I'm sure that it is illegal to pay anyone, ( regardless if they are immigrants or not ), less than the minimum wage.

[Firefly]

Dominic

I did not say it was motivated by racial prejudice, and why is my point irrelevant ?

I stated the facts as I know them to be, but I wonder how many foreign immigrants would claim it was racial, if they were denied work in the UK, because the employer preferred to employ British workers.

Keving

I have picked strawberries, you aren't paid by time, but the quantity picked. Therefore the harder you work, the more money you earn. I did not need the money, I went to keep a friend company, but most of the ladies I picked with did.

Jackie

[Dominic]

Dominic

I did not say it was motivated by racial prejudice, and why is my point irrelevant ?

Yes you did, here:

I very much doubt that the farmers have been investigated, but my point was that the British were denied work, because of foreign immigrants. Racial prejudice springs to mind, although that only seems to apply one way.

Jackie

[keving]

Dominic

I did not say it was motivated by racial prejudice, and why is my point irrelevant ?

I stated the facts as I know them to be, but I wonder how many foreign immigrants would claim it was racial, if they were denied work in the UK, because the employer preferred to employ British workers.

Keving

I have picked strawberries, you aren't paid by time, but the quantity picked. Therefore the harder you work, the more money you earn. I did not need the money, I went to keep a friend company, but most of the ladies I picked with did.

Jackie

OK, I was making the point that motivation to do well in a job can come from a number of drivers, eg pride in your work, a desire to serve the community, vocational like nurses and teachers etc or just plan simply the rewards on offer, ie money.

As I can't see much job satisfaction in picking strawberries, it seems to me that the prime motivator is money.

If its a flat rate of £5 an hour, that rate will be more motivating to those people who put a higher value on £5 .. and I would suggest that east Europeans put a higher value on £5 than English people.

If the rate is not fixed per hour, but you get paid according to the weight that you pick per hour, then we get the situation where people are paid, say, £3-£8 per hour, according to their individual productivity.

At the end of the day the value of a single £ is more motivating to an east European than to an English person, so I would expect the east European to work harder and be more productive. And if he is to younger, I expect him to work longer before his back gives in.

[Firefly]

No I did NOT say that it was MOTIVATED by racial prejudice, I said that British women were not employed because the farmer preferred foreign workers, that is a fact. Why they did and still do, I know not, I have never asked them.

That said, there are people in many walks of life who could, and would, claim that it was racial prejudice to inform your loyal workforce that they were no longer needed, simply because the employer preferred to employ foreign immigrants, for whatever reason, that's what happened here I'm told. If that happened in industry, or any other type of employment, can you imagine the reaction of the unions ?

Jackie

[keving]

Jackie said, quite categorically, for all to see:

"Racial prejudice springs to mind"

And then Jackie does a u-turn ... so maybe its not racial prejudice, its just an employer recruiting the best people for the job

.. or maybe we dont really know what Jackie is thinking?

[johnoddy]

There is no such thing as Pro-Racism......just ask any leftie.

[Firefly]

Keving

I care not what you think or don't think, about what I'm thinking. I do think that if you have the chance to 'have a go' you will.

Feel free, if it makes you happy.

Jackie

[Jimgym]

Keving

I care not what you think or don't think, about what I'm thinking. I do think that if you have the chance to 'have a go' you will.

Feel free, if it makes you happy.

Jackie

Between that and correcting grammar and punctuation it keeps him going!

[Firefly]

Jimgym

Yes I guess it does, strange how some people find enjoyment.

Jackie

[Dominic]

No I did NOT say that it was MOTIVATED by racial prejudice, I said that British women were not employed because the farmer preferred foreign workers, that is a fact. Why they did and still do, I know not, I have never asked them.

That said, there are people in many walks of life who could, and would, claim that it was racial prejudice to inform your loyal workforce that they were no longer needed, simply because the employer preferred to employ foreign immigrants, for whatever reason, that's what happened here I'm told. If that happened in industry, or any other type of employment, can you imagine the reaction of the unions ?

Jackie

You said "Racial prejudice springs to mind".

What else did you mean by that if not "Racial prejudice"?

[Firefly]

Dominic

I have already explained and I will not enter into anymore discourse on the subject. I did not say 'motivated' no matter how many times you say that I did !! End of.
Jackie

[Dominic]

So what did you mean when you said "Racial prejudice springs to mind"? I genuinely don't see what you are getting at then.