Desperate farmer offers £62k salary for cabbage pickers as staff shortages bite
T H Clements and Son Ltd have published an advert online for ‘all year round work’ and are offering to pay a worker up to £30-an-hour.
This would work out to be £62,400 a year for the physical labour job.
T H Clements and Son in Boston, Lincolnshire, posted two adverts in total, with one looking for cabbage pickers and another advert seeking people to harvest broccoli.
One advert read: “We are looking for Field Operatives to harvest our Cabbages.”
“Excellent piecework rates with potential to earn up to £30 per hour and all year round work available.”
However, the salary is depends on ‘piecework’ which means that workers get higher earnings based on how many vegetables they pick, meaning it is unlikely someone would earn the highest amount on a regular basis.
The unusually large salary represents the crisis in recruiting staff in the fruit and veg picking industry.
According to Government sources a seasonal agricultural workers scheme could be given an extension to include meat processing plants.
Skydiver killed in tragic mid-air collision after crashing into pal on parachute jump
The scheme currently allows 30,000 people to travel to the UK for six months to work in agriculture.
Other sectors are also facing staff shortages, with the job advert coming as the country faces huge queues at petrol stations following a shortage of HGV drivers.
Experts have even suggested that there is an approximate shortage of around 90,000 drivers currently.
Huge brawl breaks out at Newmarket races as thugs fight each other and security guards
To make up for the shortfall, the UK has granted 10,500 temporary visas for overseas lorry drivers and workers to prevent a crisis at Christmas.
The temporary visa scheme will create opportunities for 5,000 HGV drivers and 5,500 poultry workers to gain employment in the UK.
Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, said the move would “ensure preparations remain on track” for the Christmas season.
The job sites have said that the number of recruiters boosting their salaries to help tackle staff shortages has increased by 75 percent.
For more incredible stories from the Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.
Source: Read Full Article