[ChuckNorris89]

Same in Germany and Austria. Local farmers complain about a shortage of fruit pickers in the season even though there are plenty of able bodied unemployed locals with no skills or degrees but since they have the option of staying on unemployment, why would they do back-breaking work for 10-20% more money then what they get paid for sleeping in at home?

So they just import and abuse poor workers from Eastern Europe[1] living and working in illegal conditions, who have no better options back home than to do back-breaking work for what would be peanuts in Germany but somewhat-half-decent money back home.

The local authorities know about these illegalities regarding foreign worker exploitation but turn a blind eye as this keeps the meat and vegetables cheap in the supermarkets for the very price sensitive local consumers, since the farmers are all under the pressure of the big supermarket chains to deliver produce on time and on razor thin margins so they have no other way but to find cheap exploitable workforce to stay competitive or lose their contracts.

Welcome to 21st century European capitalism.

[1]https://youtu.be/OUiFYhVEUvU

[CodeGlitch]

Yes exactly the same happened in the UK pre-brexit. Now we have left I wonder if the situation will change much (I suspect not).

[CodeGlitch]

I wonder if the solution to this is to offer workers a non financial benefit, so it doesn't cost the farmer and more to employ a local person, but that local person gains something that they wouldn't get just by sitting at home collecting benefits...