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Government: Do Not Apply As A Mushroom Picker in Poland
Feb 19, 2010
If you are one of the many Filipino workers who want to work abroad and see an opportunity to work in Poland as a mushroom picker attractive, think again. The Philippine Embassy in Poland recently issued an advisory regarding this job offer and discouraging Filipinos to apply for this post because of the reports that mushroom pickers on the said country suffer from inhumane working conditions.
In connection with the warning, the Philippine Embassy in Poland also asked the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) to stop from issuing clearances to the said job opening.
In an official statement that appeared in the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Philippine Ambassador to Poland Alejandro del Rosario said, “There are approximately 86 Filipino women deployed or working as mushroom pickers currently in Poland. Majority of these workers are not happy with their jobs due to very low wages, unfavorable working conditions and/or substandard accommodations."
The Ambassador explained that even before they leave the Philippines for a job in Poland, most of them are already deep in debt. This is because the Embassy also received reports of Filipino workers who were enticed to turn to lending companies that charge exorbitant fees. They became victims of loan sharks which apparently charges a placement fee of about USD 4,000 or Php 185,340
“With a placement fee of about USD4000, the bulk of which is normally financed by ‘lending companies’ charging exorbitant interest rates, the deployed mushroom picker is deep in debt even before he or she starts work."
Del Rosario added that even the mode of hiring the mushroom pickers puts them in an unfavorable condition because they were not directly recruited by the mushroom companies. Rather they were hired by a recruitment agency in Poland that subcontracted their services. This makes the mushroom company free from any responsibility of protecting their welfare.
The salary of the poor workers is also not fixed because it is dependent on the quantity of mushroom they can pick. They have to rely on the available mushrooms for picking and the orders received from customers.
Del Rosario said, “Rates per kilo depend on whether the mushroom is of first, second or third class quality. In effect, there is no fixed wages for a mushroom picker. Workers’ monthly earnings vary from USD150 to USD500."
The workers are also given additional tasks but without extra wages such as maintaining the cleanliness of the production sites and its premises. They also suffer from living in a substandard accommodation and even share it with more than 30 persons.
