Story By: Gheorghi Caraseni, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
The Romanian Ambassador to the UK has confirmed that 20 planes of the country’s workers will soon arrive in Britain to work but questioned the safety of their conditions amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
Romanian ambassador Dan Mihalache, 48, made the comments to Romanian media yesterday (Monday), saying “at least 20 flights are expected to be processed during the next several weeks with seasonal workers coming from Romania to the UK”.
He says at least three flights are set to take place this week and added that: “Despite the fact we are living in a free world where everyone chooses their own fate and where to work or travel, at least for now, health security conditions are a big question mark in terms of travelling abroad.”
Mihalache says that the UK always suffers from a lack of workers in the agricultural sector in spring, so seasonal workers coming from abroad is natural but he warned Romanians to be careful.
He said: “I would recommend two things to Romanian citizens: First of all, look very carefully at the contracts underlying these seasonal jobs and do not to respond to requests from individuals who have no skills in organising this exchange of labour.”
He said the only thing he is “very afraid of” is that at the end of the process, the task of repatriating and regulating the workers’ situation will fall on the Romanian state, adding: “I don’t think it’s a very good time, I understand the need of Romanians to earn money, especially since some of them are not working for the first time in the UK.
“I also understand the need for agriculture, the British economy, to have a workforce, but we are living an absolutely special period and I think that, in the medium term, these things will have to be weighed up better by every family and every citizen who chooses this path.”
Earlier this month, images showing the departure of hundreds of Romanian workers to Germany from the crowded airport in Cluj, Romania made headlines in local media.
According to an unnamed representative of the private company that operates the flights for seasonal workers in Romania, another 15 flights to the UK and Germany are planned from Bucharest, Iasi and Cluj-Napoca airports until the beginning of May.
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