Immigration bill: Cher arborists have high hopes for government announcements

Gérald Darmain, the Minister of the Interior, announced on Wednesday the creation of a “short-term occupations” residence permit
for undocumented workers already in France. This text will appear in a bill that will be debated in the National Assembly next January. The government wants to facilitate recruitment, particularly in the building trades, catering or agriculture.

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It has been a long time since the arboriculturists of Cher have been asking to be able to hire undocumented migrants. This wish, the arborists were still able to express it at the beginning of the summer when they launched their recruitments for the season. They had once again invited deputies and prefectural services to their orchards to demand more facilities in the recruitment of foreigners. “This is rather good news. This shows that you should never give up. Now you have to be careful.” warns Pascal Clavier, president of the arboriculture section at the FDSEA of Cher. Not sure indeed that this bill to create a residence permit “job in tension” is voted by the deputies. The oppositions have already expressed their reservations, fearing to create a draft.

Apple pickers are paid by the job
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Michael Benoit

“We are depriving ourselves of these courageous candidates. I hope that will change”. – Pascal Clavier, president of the arboriculture section at the FDSEA of Cher

The government also wants remove the six-month waiting period for asylum seekers, six months during which they are not allowed to work. For lack of candidates, the apple picking began in the Cher with teams cut by a third. “This summer, we were very much in demand from Morocco, especially with people who wanted to return to France, working with us, continues Pascal Clavier. Obviously, we could not sign contracts with them. Locally, we no longer find enough people to work in our orchards. These jobs are less interesting because you have to give a lot. Professions that seem so simple, that they are considered uninteresting by some. While we work on the living. And there, we have these candidates from abroad, who have suffered. Behind this suffering, they want to find themselves in basic trades, which do not require bac+10, but simply courage and the desire to work. And we deprive ourselves of these courageous candidates. I hope that will change.” The best apple pickers who can win up to 3,000 euros per month affirms Pascal Clavier, perhaps enough to reconsider the question!

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Immigration bill: Cher arborists have high hopes for government announcements