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The case was first published in Gemini.no, the investigative journal of NTNU and Sintef.
The coronavirus has taught us an important lesson:
– The pandemic shook the entire system. Migrant workers did not escape. Production was reduced and it was feared that the fields would not be sown or harvested. Several measures were taken to limit the effects, including separate entry rules for agricultural workers. This demonstrated the important role of migrant workers in the European food industry, says Johan Fredrik Rye, professor in NTNU’s Department of Sociology and Political Science.
In Norway, the state wanted to encourage farmers to entice domestic labor to take the spring crop and harvest this year’s crop. In Britain, Prince Charles was in the forefront in getting the English out onto the field.
Both attempts were unsuccessful.
Jobs Norwegians don’t want
– The challenge is that immigrants who work do the work that the country’s own population will no longer do. These are jobs that are often poorly paid, poorly regulated, monotonous, dirty, and sometimes dangerous, says Johan Fredrik Rye.
When migrant workers take over manual jobs, the status drops further and makes them even less attractive to the local population. The emphasis is more on the needs of the employer than the employee’s right to a decent job, according to the migrant researcher.
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Norway has become more dependent on labor immigration than most people realize. Professor Johan Fredrik Rye studies labor migration. Photo: NTNU
New book on labor immigration
Along with Karen O’Reilly, Rye is the editor of the recent book “International Labor Migration to Rural Europe”.
Immigrant and seasonal workers are marginalized, invisible, and exploited.
In the book, several research groups that have studied aspects of the diverse labor migration in Europe contribute:
Russians and Poles in the Norwegian fishing industry and Polish seasonal workers in the container barracks of German farmers, Thai berry pickers in Swedish forests, Ukrainian farm workers in Poland, Eastern European strawberry pickers in Norway and England, Albanians in Greek agriculture and pastoralists in Mediterranean countries.
Two chapters compare American and European agriculture.
Heavy structures
Rye and O’Reilly are clear on what the research shows: working immigrants and seasonal workers are marginalized, invisible, and exploited.
– Poor working conditions and low status characterize Norwegian rural communities more than before, and will continue to do so. Labor immigrants are often on the fringes of the regulated labor market, both in Norway and elsewhere in Europe, says the sociologist.
– Many people try to change it, but it is difficult, even when it comes to passing laws that regulate working life. The problems lie more in the organization of world food production than in the unwillingness of the individual employer.
– Why is it difficult to change?
– Farmers must be profitable and then the wage level must be kept low.
Consumers are happy to say yes when asked if they are willing to pay a little more for food if it is produced in a more responsible way, but when shopping they prefer to buy the cheapest variant. It’s not easy to do anything, says the teacher.
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Good labor – bad treatment
According to Rye, hardworking immigrants are expected to work hard and settle for little.
Poles in Norway should be ideal workers despite the fact that they often live poorly and isolated. The same can be found throughout the European continent. For example, Romanian strawberry pickers in Andalusia settle in rooms with two or six other people. They are far from home and are integrated to a small extent.
It is common for authorities in host countries to overlook the poor living and working conditions of migrants. Hiring companies reduce the possibility of employees participating in group plans.
– Is Norwegian working life not sufficiently regulated?
– Working life in Norway is among the most regulated in Europe. It is a good starting point. But at the same time, the state’s attention has been less focused on parts of working life in the districts. Furthermore, it may appear that the labor market in rural areas is more immune to attempts at state regulation. The degree of organization among migrant workers is also very low, says Professor Rye.
An idyllic picture of a triple win in labor immigration remains.
Karen O’Reilly publishes the book on European labor immigration together with Johan Fredrik Rye. Photo: NTNU
“Triple win”
More than almost any other industry, food production depends on migrant workers. Employers defend low wages by saying that migrants earn much more than they would in their home country.
– An idyllic picture of a triple win of labor immigration is maintained: the employer gets cheap and good labor, the employee earns better than at home and the family and home country benefit from it, says Johan Fredrik Rye.
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Many reasons
Behind labor immigration in Europe there are strong geopolitical changes, he points out. The fall of communism, the enlargement of the EU, globalization and the reduction of national borders have allowed extensive labor immigration. Cheap flights have made travel easier. In theory, you can live in Gdansk and travel weekly to Norway. The book refers to the fact that there are 5.5 million migrant workers in Europe and says the number is likely to be higher.
From farm to industry
In the United States, agriculture is highly industrialized. The country’s two million farmers produce up to 10 million farmers in the EU. American working life is also much less regulated, less unionized, and welfare plans are far worse than in Europe.
Johan Fredrik Rye says that much of Europe’s agriculture and food production is speeding towards similar industrialization.
– This is most evident in the production of labor-intensive fruit and vegetables in Mediterranean countries. In southern Spain, there is an area of 450 square kilometers with plastic for growing vegetables.
– But also in Norway there is a strong centralization of agriculture. Small farms are closed and large units grow. This development facilitates more agricultural workers from abroad.
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Hope as a driving force
Labor immigration has a lot to do with emotions, says the professor. The driving force is usually the hope of a better life for themselves and their loved ones. But for many, it becomes a demanding life, even if they earn more money than at home.
The jobseeker is separated from his home and has often shared a home. Maybe it’s not a problem for a young Swede to spend a few months cleaning crabs off the Norwegian coast, Rye thinks. It is something else for a father of a family with three children in Poland.
– Working immigrants live a kind of life in the shadows. They are not at home or part of the community to which they have come. In Europe, we see that right-wing populism has its strength in the countryside and is likely to affect migrant workers in some countries. The main impression in the Norwegian debate, however, is that labor immigration from Eastern Europe is viewed in a positive light, says Professor Johan Fredrik Rye.
Spread spectrum
The researchers’ definition of “working immigrant” is broad. It includes Poles who have worked for ten years processing fish in Frøya and Thai berry pickers who scour the Nordic forests for a few weeks.
A good proportion of those who come to Norway as refugees also end up in low-paying jobs in agriculture or the food industry in rural areas. It is difficult to get a job without a Norwegian education and with few language skills.
Referanse: “International labor migration to rural regions of Europe”, edited by Johan Fredrik Rye and Karen O. Reilly, Routledge
