“European subsidies should have been used to restructure agricultural activities in a way that then allows farms to pay higher wages, but that has not been the case,” Ms. Santos Ferreira said. “When wages are very low and people are receiving unemployment benefits, it seems pretty normal that people prefer to get the benefit, stay home and not do a job that is very hard.” RAC turned to importing labor from Asia three years ago, at the very depths of Portugal’s economic crisis. Bringing over Thai workers requires visas and proof from RAC that it cannot find local workers. Recruiting a Thai picker also costs RAC almost 2,000 euros more per year than if it hired a local, as the company pays for a return airline ticket to Thailand and provides housing, where workers share rooms of four or six bunk beds.
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 08:34:00 +0000