The N-VA is asking itself questions on the subject of seasonal workers coming from areas hit by the coronavirus

“It is unacceptable that we are seeing ever higher numbers of unemployed people here while at the same time flying in workers from coronavirus risk areas abroad.” The N-VA wants to prevent people from badly hit areas from coming to work in our country while many unemployed and technically unemployed people here can fill these jobs. “Public health takes precedence right now.”

Fruit pickers from Eastern Europe

During this period of the year, traditional fruit pickers from Eastern European countries such as Romania, Poland or Bulgaria make their way in large numbers to Limburg. Many of these workers come from areas where the coronavirus is raging. The N-VA is surprised at the flippancy with which people from severely affected areas come over to carry out work here, while the coronavirus crisis means that a great many people have been made unemployed or technically unemployed. The N-VA believes that those people could perfectly be set to work picking fruit.

Large group of temporary unemployed in our country

According to the N-VA, the problem of the fruit pickers from Eastern Europe is twofold. Firstly they pose a threat to public health and secondly they are a missed opportunity for our “inactive people”. “It makes no sense for workers from Eastern Europe to be flown in from red or orange coronavirus zones while we have a gigantic pool of inactive people here such as people who are temporarily unemployed due to the coronavirus crisis and other unemployed people.”

A stricter watch over who enters the country

The N-VA wants people who enter the country to be monitored more closely in the light of the COVID-19 epidemic: “We should at least look at how we can prevent people from highly infected areas from coming here, possibly with a COVID-19 infection. Public health takes precedence right now.”

Encouraging inactive people on the labour market

In order to encourage the inactive people on our labour market to fill the jobs that are still there, the N-VA wants to work more actively. “During the coronavirus crisis, the degressivity of the unemployment benefit was suspended because it was assumed that unemployed people in these times of coronavirus cannot find a new job. I am asking myself the question out loud of whether it is necessary for us to extend this measure further. It is unacceptable that we are seeing ever higher numbers of unemployed people here while at the same time flying in workers from coronavirus risk areas abroad,” the N-VA concludes.