“We were modern day slaves”… Shocking revelation of a woman in Ukraine, what happened at a cherry farm in England

[사진 출처 = 가디언]

On a farm in England, the reality of a ‘modern slavery scene’ is revealed and shocking.

The Guardian, a British daily, reported on the 19th (local time) that hundreds of Ukrainian workers who worked on a farm in the UK had fled to escape the harsh working conditions that were close to ‘slavery’.

The Guardian also introduced an interview with a Ukrainian woman who worked with her lover on a cherry farm between August and October of last year.

They said they were given unrealistic targets on the farm and were not even allowed to wear gloves, so their hands were prone to bleeding and peeling skin.

The woman said, “The farm workers were threatened and humiliated and worked tirelessly until their hands and feet bled.”

“If a person fell off the ladder and was sent to the dormitory, he had to recover on his own or go home,” he confessed.

“It was like modern slavery,” said the woman, “working on a farm was the worst experience and treatment of my life.”

Hundreds of people but 38 have escaped from the large farm worker camp they stayed in, the Guardian said.

“Those who have left work illegally in the city center to solve financial problems,” he said.

“I met a lot of Ukrainians who ran away while working on farms in similar circumstances to ours,” the woman said.

The woman, who is doing cleaning and construction related work with her lover, is in a blind spot under the current visa system and has no choice but to work illegally, the Guardian pointed out.

[AFP = 연합뉴스]

This is because the UK government does not qualify for the ‘Ukrainian Family Plan’ or ‘Ukrainian Sponsorship Plan’, which are the main visa systems currently operated by the UK government for Ukrainians.

“Nobody cares what happens to seasonal workers,” said another woman interviewed.

In fact, according to data released by the UK Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFRA) at the end of last year, seasonal workers working on farms following Brexit, when the UK left the EU, face extremely poor welfare conditions.

In addition, a large proportion of Ukrainians working in the UK on a seasonal worker visa was found.

As of last year, of the 29,631 T5 visas issued to seasonal workers, regarding 67% (19,920) were issued to Ukrainians, accounting for the largest proportion.

[이상규 매경닷컴 기자]
[ⓒ 매일경제 & mk.co.kr, 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]