Scottish farmer says competition from SA makes harvest 'unviable', donates entire blueberry crop

Cosmik Debris

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Pension contributions and holiday pay? Now we understand why they can't keep, they are spoiling the masses.

Something berry pickers on less than £10 a day in South Africa on minimum wage can only dream of. See how poor SA actually is? Low unemployment and a labour shortage in the UK too.
 

TheMightyQuinn

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"Labour costs (for fruit pickers) meanwhile have risen from £7 an hour five years ago to £10.10 today"

That's R1700 pay per day for a fruit picker excluding pension contributions and holiday pay. Just over R35000 salary per month to pick blueberries. WTF!
Pointless "math"...
 

TheMightyQuinn

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More things at play in the market...
 

Howdy

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Just putting some reality on the spin ...

Last season during a particularly cold spell, guys were flying with Robinsons every night just west of JHB to protect the berries from frost. Rotor wash and engine heat apparently is just what is required. Not exactly cheap.
 

ShaunSA

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So there's going to be a lot of blue waffles in Scotland over the next few weeks?
 
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Cius

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Not new. Labour intensive farming tends to die down in rich countries and expand in poor countries due to labour costs. He should plant something that is machine harvestable instead. I spent time in rural France watching the farmers and it was incredible to observe the level of automation involved. In Europe the machine is a lot cheaper than the worker over the long run so so they automate everything.
 

ForceFate

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A Truck Driver can expect an average starting salary of £24,200. The highest salaries can exceed £60,000.


I was earning £400 basic a day plus allowances working out of Aberdeen, Scotland a few years ago. But then you work a 12 hour day and don't slack off like in SA and you're subject to random alcohol and drug tests. Refusal is instant termination as is a positive test. No three warning letters.
In ZA, employers aren't mandated by law to have 3 warnings before dismissal afaik. An employee can be dismissed after the first disciplinary hearing if there's sufficient evidence they were drunk and they were made aware beforehand (briefed about policies).
 

TheChamp

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In ZA, employers aren't mandated by law to have 3 warnings before dismissal afaik. An employee can be dismissed after the first disciplinary hearing if there's sufficient evidence they were drunk and they were made aware beforehand (briefed about policies).
Yes, a dismissable offence is a dismissable offence, it doesn't need prior warnings.
 

Cosmik Debris

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In ZA, employers aren't mandated by law to have 3 warnings before dismissal afaik. An employee can be dismissed after the first disciplinary hearing if there's sufficient evidence they were drunk and they were made aware beforehand (briefed about policies).

Correct. But do they test at any time in SA? If I entered company premises with a sealed bottle of booze in my boot, it was a dismissal offence. Is it so in SA?
 

ForceFate

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Correct. But do they test at any time in SA?
If there's reasonable suspicion the person is drunk, yes. Employers have varying ways of dealing with it.
If I entered company premises with a sealed bottle of booze in my boot, it was a dismissal offence.
It's still the case in the mines and smelters. I don't know about banks and such.
Is it so in SA?
Yes. Booze, guns, drugs strictly prohibited. Some employers have parking for outside the premises where you can park if you don't want your vehicle searched.
 

Cosmik Debris

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If there's reasonable suspicion the person is drunk, yes. Employers have varying ways of dealing with it.

We were tested at random with no suspicion at all. Company policy so many tests a week.

Glad to see SA is catching up to first world norms regarding booze and drugs at the workplace.
 

ForceFate

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We were tested at random with no suspicion at all. Company policy so many tests a week.
This is how my ex employer did it. Everyone was subjected to mandatory alcohol tests in the morning. Drug tests were random. If there's reasonable suspicion during the day, then you're tested again. It's up to the employer how they want to do it. I know some places it's random when you enter.
Glad to see SA is catching up to first world norms regarding booze and drugs at the workplace.
When it comes to health and safety laws, ZA has always been on par with some of the developed world.
 

Cosmik Debris

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When it comes to health and safety laws, ZA has always been on par with some of the developed world.

SA plays catchup. If they had a proper SHEQ system and lock out tag out at Camden power station, the chemical dosing valve could never have been opened.
 

ForceFate

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SA plays catchup. If they had a proper SHEQ system and lock out tag out at Camden power station, the chemical dosing valve could never have been opened.
It's not a dosing valve but a large shut off valve according to reports. Shut off valves don't stay under lock when plant is in operation.

Human error means accidents can happen anywhere in the world.

Look at this...
 
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