Germanshepherdsmum
A local fruit grower said that his pickers can earn up to £20 an hour. Obviously it all depends on how quick they are as they are paid by weight. But he can’t get British people to do the work. At all. If someone earns a low wage doing agricultural (or any other low-paid) work, there is UC etc to top up low earnings. Wouldn’t most people rather do some honest work and have their earnings supplemented than sit at home and claim benefits if they are physically able to? Sadly not I think, as the number of vacancies v the number on benefits shows. There was a time when if you refused two job offers your benefits were withdrawn. As sazzl says, there are many who play the system and families in which several generations have never worked - but they seem able to afford booze, fags, satellite tv and other things that hard working people and pensioners would consider luxuries. I have witnessed it myself. I regularly drove to work past the social housing with bedroom curtains still closed, and no they weren’t all on night shifts. The government has said numerous times that they will ensure that work pays but I don’t see much evidence of it. And Gill I am not including pensioners in this, I am talking about people under pension age who could work but choose not to.
Oh dear... can we play Right Wing media bingo with this post?
I live in an area of high deprivation. Huge population growth in the 19th century with the expansion of mining, heavy industry allied to mining (here because of the readily available fuel). Mining declined rapidly in the latter part of the last century. Industry disappeared. Nothing to replace it.
We are surrounded by farms, but, because of our less favourable climate (NE England), they are mainly arable and livestock, no acres of fruit and vegetable produce to offer even seasonal jobs.
My nearest town is dying, the main street almost has more empty shops than working ones, so not many retail jobs available.
The distribution of illicit drugs seems to be a growth area, perhaps there are opportunities there...
Perhaps the believers in the shiftless idle nature of those on benefits would like conjure up some worthwhile jobs for them to do in our area?
