A litre of milk costs Euro 1.20 in the supermarket,or as much as 1.60 in a convenience store, while the farmer is paid 20 cents.
I listened to a farmer's wife on the radio the other morning. She said it cost her husband 36 cents to produce the milk, and I do not believe that included his labour. She spoke about previously, when they used take the children out every Sunday for some kind of a treat, while now it is more like every two months, and just a visit to a public park.
I started thnking about the minimum hourly wage which is either Euro 8.50 0r 8.60 an hour. That is not fair. Every employee beyond the farmer is protected financially, but not the person who provides for the cow's welfare, and finds himself, apparently, without anyone who is prepared to look after him.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
People
When I first went out to wok, it was amongst young fellows my own age, and those first years were a high-point in my life. We seemed to have everything in common, and we spent a good bit of our leisure time together. That feeling, of community, persisted for some years.
I gradually came to understand, as I joined other groups, that my fellow-employees and I did not really constitute a community. It may have been that I was unfortunate in my experience, although I do not think so. My opinion is that for many, if not most, life is a competitive affair.
There are some who, consciously, or unconsciously, try to work according to standards, whatever they may be: the common good of the group, the interests of their employer, the rights of weaker associates, or whatever else they may be. Then there are others, who do not accept rules or standards, in trying to achieve the maximum they can for themselves, whether recognition or material rewards.
I think of myself, and I wonder if my opinion of others has changed during my life. I think the answer may be 'No'. I think in the beginning we did not really know who we were, nor how we would develop. What did we really know? Gradually we learned who we were, and what the options were: some chose one way, while others chose different paths.
We lost touch physically, we grew older, we met others, and we compared them with those we had known, and, in my case, I thought they were not as nice. I did not realise, of course, that we had all changed.
I gradually came to understand, as I joined other groups, that my fellow-employees and I did not really constitute a community. It may have been that I was unfortunate in my experience, although I do not think so. My opinion is that for many, if not most, life is a competitive affair.
There are some who, consciously, or unconsciously, try to work according to standards, whatever they may be: the common good of the group, the interests of their employer, the rights of weaker associates, or whatever else they may be. Then there are others, who do not accept rules or standards, in trying to achieve the maximum they can for themselves, whether recognition or material rewards.
I think of myself, and I wonder if my opinion of others has changed during my life. I think the answer may be 'No'. I think in the beginning we did not really know who we were, nor how we would develop. What did we really know? Gradually we learned who we were, and what the options were: some chose one way, while others chose different paths.
We lost touch physically, we grew older, we met others, and we compared them with those we had known, and, in my case, I thought they were not as nice. I did not realise, of course, that we had all changed.
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