‘Foreign staff sleeping in greenhouses’ probe
Wednesday 26th November 2008, 2:35PM GMT.
THE Environment Department has launched an investigation into claims that foreign workers have been sleeping in greenhouses at Merton Vinery.
The department confirmed that it was looking into an alleged use of part of the premises for residential accommodation after inquiries by the Guernsey Press highlighted the issue.
Housing minister Dave Jones said he was aware of the claims made about foreign workers sleeping in a vinery in Pointes Lane, St Andrew’s, which is owned by Bruce Tostevin.
‘While the Housing Department will not comment on individual cases, it investigates all allegations relating to people who might be living or working unlawfully in the island,’ said a spokesman for the department.
‘Where there is evidence of people living or working unlawfully, the appropriate action is taken in all instances.’
Claims were made about Merton Vinery after a fire broke out in a packing shed on Saturday night. A parishioner reported that she had seen five people flee from the greenhouse with duvets and bedding wrapped around them.
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I thought we’d moved on a bit from hiding workers in greenhouses, packing sheds and containers.
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I used to live and work in Guernsey under a licence, then when that expired for reasons beyond my control I lived in a so called Hotel..still worked though..and guess what it was in an out building that was full of mould stuck in the middle of a field basically..this is the way staff are treated I am afraid, as long as you are working for such people you have to live where they give you if you have no choice.
This was only 10 years ago..I see nothing has changed since…it is disgusting, the people of Guernsey expect you to work hard but live like animals sometimes..
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I bet the white supremacists that are now monitoring our activity in the media are having a right old laugh.
They’ll be organising cruises over here.
Jackie, tell me how we have moved on when you appear to accept that Flouquet’s indiscretion is nothing to get annoyed about?
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Ooo it sounds lovely! Like living in your own garden of Eden.
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Josh..What is lovely about living in these situations.. You should try it and then tell me it is like living in your own garden of Eden, because you would not..it is dirty, cold and not good for any human person..we live in the 21st century or did you not realise this…
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I don’t think that anybody is really interested to investigate living conditions of foreign workers in Guernsey. Because “it is such a wonderful place to live in…the most wonderful on earth…” That’s what you can hear almost every morning on the radio.. And that Guernsey keeps everything in control: its sewage, its finance business, its buses, its housing policies, its traffic, its transports…(all outside our purpose here, granted) It’s some kind of plastering/ make believe politics, that everything is so beautiful and perfect. Nobody wants to hear otherwise! Dare you make any comment even constructive ones: The reply is swift; ‘you know the next boat out of the island is at..’ It is a small island and it would be easy to check accommodations for these foreign workers-tiny cupboard looking rooms with stinky rotten carpets, damp and sordid, rooms shared by 5-8 adult women, being charged for no less than £ 50 weekly each. Did Mr Tostevin charge whoever was living in his shed/ greenhouse? These people are desperate to make their lives better back home, hard working, trusting in the ‘western’ values and are let down Big time by this ‘model’ of ‘modern’ civilization. Minimum wage/ human rights: swear words here. Come on Guernsey own up! admit the wrong doings and put them right! A bit of courage!
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“Foreign staff” Oh the outrage of it, the headline writer should resign immediately or aa t least go on some leftie ‘diversification’ brain washing programme ;)
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Mandy.
Sorry to hear of the conditions you had to endure whilst working here.
Surely though, you would have had a choice….if it was that bad why didnt you leave?
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I agree that people should not be living in substandard accommodation. Licence Holders do not have to put up with this – they can move or report their appalling conditions to Housing. If these so-called employers were fined they would soon improve things. Staff could then choose to work for decent employers.
I wonder if any of the workers are living here illegally and that is why they will not report the substandard living conditions? I do hope that housing are investigating.
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Who’d be a grower these days? Play by the rules and have a loss-making business, or cut corners like this and get into trouble. Can’t even start up a different business because you won’t get permission for change of use for the land.
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It happens a lot more often then people realize on this Islands, How many foreign works are still in ex guest houses/ hotels getting ripped off.. Lots. and it’s not only in the growing industry.. I’ve noticed a large local transport company that would appear to be almost exclusively staff by foreign workers… But we still have 300 unemployed. How these guys getting the licences…
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I can’t believe everyone is calling these people ‘Foreigners’! You pathetic little parochial, xenophobic, introspective Guerns. Take off the rose tinted glasses. In the rest of the world these workers would be called expats. Assuming that these workers are desperate to improve their families’ lots back home, they will do anything, even work in this narrow-minded, pathetic little island. I’m saying this as an expat living somewhere else in the world, doing a job in a country because they can’t be bothered to do it themselves, just like working in greenhouses and doing all the crappy jobs the Guernsey people won’t do (even with 300 unemployed). Oh yes, and I’m also from Guernsey. I also agree with MacTavish – nail on the head.
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gsydonkke..thank you for your comments, yes I did leave I saw sense I could not have stayed in those condidtions any longer than I did, I took the boat out as they say, by the way I am not a foreigner I actually come from one of the other Islands, and could not believe that people had to live in these conditions in this day and age..how “wonderful” Guernsey is hey…
By the way the grass was greener on the other side, No more living in Squalor as they say… The hotel (X) that I stayed in was even run by Guernsey people, who had a beautiful house on top of a hill with beautiful views and plenty of money..but treated their staff and so called guests like vermon..and charged the earth (Rent) you know who I am talking about? Don’t you…
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Dolly:
You might want to look up the word “foreigner”. I too am a former Guern working and living abroad (US) and at no point have I ever seen the words ex pat on any form I have had to fill out for the federal government. The word foreigner is not a derogatory word nor has it ever been. In fact let me save you the bother of having to look it up:
Foreigners: a person who comes from a foreign country; someone who does not owe allegiance to your country
So I would say in this instance the word was used correctly.
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Cambridge Dictionary:
“Foreigner” : noun
A person who comes from another country
What is so xenophobic about that, Dolly? It’s politically correct zealots like yourself that create racial tension by playing pathetic word games and labelling normal, respecful people racists because they happen to use a perfectly normal word.
I’m no racist, in fact many of my friends are black yet I use the word foreigner to describe foreign workers – it’s purely a descriptive term.
High time you step off your PC high horse and realise that it isn’t the words you use, it’s the attitude in your mind/heart that’s important.
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Whilst you all had your dictionaries open, what a shame you didn’t make it as far as the ‘X”s. Surely the allusion to the staff as ‘foreign’ is mildly xenophobic? Does their nationality add any value to the story? Ask yourself whether you would feel any different were the story to make no reference to nationality, leaving you with the assumption that the workers were local.
How do you feel now eh mon vieux?
Personally, I take Dolly’s comments with the tongue in cheek inference with which they were intended, whilst also being mildly outraged that Bernard Flouquet is keeping foreigners in greenhouses. Seems to me that he’s just letting the terrorists win.
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Student Bob:
1. No it wasn’t even mildy xenophobic – unless of course the person writing the article had that view. In my view it was simply stating a fact that the workers in question were foreign.
2. Personally I would not feel any different if the story was about locals (having an English mother and a Guernsey father I am a bit of both).
If any worker is being housed in sub-standard conditions on Guernsey, whether local or foreign, I would be unhappy with it. Some of my friends are foreign workers and I am unhappy with the way they are treated, yet I would still refer to them as foreign workers because that is a non-partisan definition – they are foreign and they work.
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Just waiting for Fast Robert to jump aboard and agree that the word ‘Foreigner’ is yet another term to delete from the English language
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Paul, I feel a bit cheap lowering myself to semantics, but perhaps you could look up partisan too….
My point remains though, if you are equally incensed with the plight of both local and non-local workers, why do we (for we read the great and good Guernsey Press) need to differentiate? Again, can you, or anyone else, explain – what value does the knowledge that the workers are foreign bring to the story?
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Bob – point taken about partisan, cheap but correct! Perhaps unbiased would have been better. :)
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Oh deary me dolly. I think you’ll find expats is a term the English use for themselves when they choose to live in foreign countries. To the nationals of the host country you are a foreigner. Sorry to burst your bubble.
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