Didn't something similar to this happen in Perth market gardens?? One hundred at least we're overstayers and were sent home.
Coukdn't be too hard. Strip the plants of all fruit, then electronically sort based on size, weight & colour returning all rejects straight back into the paddock. Sounds viable to me.
We have machines that do that for grains and cotton. Surely it can't be that hard. And the jobs of the drivers and repairmen are better than the poor souls on their knees in the field.
Seems like the strawberry farmers have already tried machines to pick the fruit, but it causes extensive bruising to much of the fruit.. Back to the drawing board. Regards Errol 43
gave picking a go in Bundy in 94 just after my marriage dissolved, the hourly rate was $9.21 on the farms that didn't pay by the bucket. Snow peas were $10 a bucket and a good money earner. City centre backpackers would put people up on credit till the first pay came in and charge $80 a week. One of the Dutchies painted a mural on the wall while I was there, it has me sitting back against a tree having a smoke. There was the pub across the road doing similar and another backpackers that was struggling at the time. The backpackers had arrangements with the farms to supply workers, and if you weren't prepared to work they would not give you accommodation. I worked at a few good farms but as always there was 1 stand out mongrel farm. Tomato's were picked there at the time and I am surprised they could get any employees. For the smallest reason they would give people a tap on the shoulder and send them on a long wait or a long hike back to town. I would imagine Errol would know of this place and maybe given a few a lift. They also paid $8.21 so I avoided them and their walk. Stegles (testing my memory) was another I worked at looking after and picking the pumpkins, they were great and looked after me well. I was the only backpacker working there. SP Exports was another good farm, very big and had 3 machines. Thats where most wanted to work back then. Worked on a heap of farms and most were really good, the mongrels soon presented themselves so they would have a hard time getting workers after word got out. The backpackers were mainly Dutchies, Kiwi's, Poms, Canadian and the odd Fraulein. The fruit, veg and backpackers were all ripe for the picking back then Ahh, fond memories
^^^^Spot on Scone....Times have moved on these days with Asians making up the majority of workers in the fields. Most are backpackers with working visas..However they can't speak english very well an so they can be exploited. They certainly help the Bundaberg economy, and the people of Bundaberg need all the help they can get (still getting over last year's flood) Regards Errol 43
As any parent will tell you. You were getting the better part of the deal. They only had to give you unlimited amounts of their time food, money, for XX years before you were able to do a $0 full day's work.
Exactly that is how a Libertarianism would work it's not exploitation it is what the market dictates. What we have here is a Libertarian ideal, why should they be paid more? If they did not want to work there they could just starve instead - it is a choice they make of their own free will. Paying them more would just be making the farmers business not viable, the person "exploiting them" as some people would say has to eat as well..... The market will take care of it.... (Sarcasm)
They weren't forced to give me "unlimited amounts of their time food, money, for XX years". At any point they could have adopted me to someone else who was willing.
It's breach of contract if they change the conditions randomly on you without properly informing you. It's fraud if they use deception to obtain your services. It's theft if they don't pay you your agreed wages. It's not "exploitation" if the workers voluntarily agree to the working arrangements. Therein ends the role of the law and politics in deciding anything. Saying that their practices are morally objectionable and that you will refuse to deal with such scum or will campaign to prevent people buying their goods etc (or whatever peaceful action you wish to take) is outside of political theory. The market will take care of it.
Im not totally convinced , come on $7 a day ? If thats what they get and stay more than a day ,mores the fool them.
The market will take care of it? What a joke, now it has been on TV people will not eat or buy product from that particular farm..... You are delusional, which farm did the meal you ate tonight come from?
Bordsilver - I think you might have slightly misinterpreted Willrocks - he did not say your parents were forced to, merely that to have you develop to a point where you could do a full days work for $0 required much investment of their time and money. Which obviously fails a cost benefit analysis. Must be some other reason to having kids then than merely access to cheap labour!!
Because it's a con? "Oh, you should have kids..." "You guys aren't getting along? You need to have kids. That'll make you happy" "When are you going to give me some grandkids?" Etc, etc :lol:
It's pretty true. I worked in Childers about 4 years ago and they rip,people hard on the farms. But people need the hours to extend their visas and know they're getting screwed. I think one of the tomato farming groups got busted for underpaying or tax evasion? I remember they payed about $1.50 for one massive bucket of gourmet tomatoes.. So if you can only pick a few buckets a day you're looking at $30 a day after 6 hours. The fast pickers made more but dang.
