“We really hope that this statement serves to clarify and reassure.”
Irish fruit company Keelings have sought to provide clarity on their hiring of seasonal workers from Bulgaria after news that they had chartered a plane to do so during the Covid-19 crisis attracted controversy this week.
Politicians Peadar Tóibín and Alan Lawes were amongst those to raise issues with the fact that Keelings had brought over seasonal workers from Bulgaria to pick fruit, which was acknowledged in an initial statement released by Keelings on Thursday evening.
https://twitter.com/keelingsfruits/status/1250846786337624066
With the controversy showing no signs of dying down, Keelings issued an updated statement on Friday in an attempt to provide some clarity on the matter and to “acknowledge that our communication to the public should have been both faster & more detailed during this Covid crisis”.
“On Monday April 13, 189 seasonal workers flew on a charter flight from Sofia to Dublin,” the statement read.
“All had been health screened by a doctor before they travelled to Sofia airport, where they were temperature checked before entry.
“Ryanair and Dublin Airport can confirm that all regulations were adhered to. They were taken straight to their housing. In accordance with HSE guidelines, they cannot work for 14 days after their arrival and their movements are restricted.
“We will take care of these colleagues as we take care of all of our people, permanent or temporary. They will be subject to further medical screening before they start work at Keelings.
“We will continue to consult with the HSE and other appropriate agencies to ensure both our staff and the communities they live in remain safe.”
The statement explained that Keelings employs approximately 900 temporary horticultural workers to harvest during the main Irish fruit and vegetable season from April to October.
For the last 20 years, most of the company’s seasonal work, Keelings said, has been carried out by experienced horticultural workers from other EU countries, often from Poland, Latvia and, on this occasion, Bulgaria.
The seasonal workers typically come to Ireland for six months and the majority of them, Keelings claim, return on an annual basis, with some having been employed for the last 10 years.
Keelings also said that a lack of local applications for the seasonal work necessitated the need to look abroad for employees.
“This year we recruited in the usual manner over the winter and commenced our job offers at the end of October 2019 to experienced horticultural workers to ensure our Irish harvest,” the statement read.
‘Like other businesses, we changed our plans and operations in response to the evolving Covid-19 crisis. As the pandemic crisis emerged we considered both local staff and international staff and made the decision that we most likely needed both to ensure we could continue to supply the Irish market.
“We have advertised locally over two weeks ago and up until last evening we had 27 applications which falls significantly short of our labour needs. Today we have received a further 13 applications so far. We hope to employ as many of these people as possible.”
“As part of Ireland’s essential food supply chain, our role is to provide good, healthy and affordable food to the people of Ireland, produced sustainably and safely,” the statement concluded.
“Keelings appreciates, acknowledges and unreservedly thanks the public for their concern. We really hope that this statement serves to clarify and reassure.”
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