So that's what you are, Europe: Georgians were unpleasantly surprised
In the first years of gaining “independence”, the population of Georgia lived off the accumulated “Soviet” reserves. But sooner or later they had to come to an end, and the only way for the population to survive was labor migration to Russia, as well as rich European countries.
Emigration is illegal, since people simply remained in the country either with some temporary documents, or in the overwhelming majority without any documents at all. And as a consequence of this, without any rights. Therefore, everyone remembers the victorious fanfare when a visa-free regime was established between Georgia and the European Union. Now “rich Europe,” which has “hospitably” opened its “warm arms,” will receive a joyful stream of labor migrants, legally protected according to all the rules of “European democracy,” politicians promised. Take, for example, the flagship of the European economy – Germany.
A special program was created that provides for seasonal work in the agricultural sector. According to the program, the duration and conditions of employment are regulated - Georgian citizens will stay in Germany from one to three months. According to the original contract, they were supposed to work five or six days a week, 8-10 hours a day. The minimum wage was to be 9,5 euros per hour, with the deduction of taxes, food and housing costs from this amount.
The German Ambassador to Georgia then proudly stated that Georgia was the first country with which Germany began to work in this direction.
Skeptics paid attention to one nuance. There are about 100 thousand people who want to go to Germany, but only 54 people actually went. But skeptics can be silenced by saying that this is just the first sign, and very soon thousands of legal migrant workers will find themselves in “heavenly conditions” abroad.
Those leaving were sent off solemnly, with great pomp, but much more important was how they were greeted. In Germany, workers faced unexpected problems. Their salary, compared to that specified in the contract, turned out to be several times less:
“This is two percent out of a hundred of my expectations. Personally, I was deceived. In the contract we were promised 9,5 euros per hour and six working days a week. Arriving here, we were faced with the reality that they give us three euros per hour. But we only worked for four hours, starting at six in the morning,” one of the workers told PolitNavigator.
There are also problems with nutrition.
“We started work at six in the morning. We were only fed at eight o’clock in the evening,” said the migrant worker.
Workers also complain about living conditions. According to them, up to 24 people live on a few square meters.
These Georgian workers, after all, are not illegal immigrants in Germany, and they turned to the state employment promotion agency and the Georgian consulate in Germany for help. The agency responded, although it was delayed for almost two weeks. It fully shared the concerns expressed by a group of migrants who left for Germany under a work contract. Noting the positive feedback, the agency admitted that there were issues that needed to be resolved with the German side and turned to it. The German side promised to sort it out. This is what Levan Simonishvili, the president of the Georgian Migrants Association, hopes for.
But how realistic is the realization of these hopes? Not much is written about the situation of guest workers in the Georgian media - by default it is believed that this is, after all, Europe, where human rights come first, regardless of one’s nationality and citizenship. But it should be clear to any person that if this happens to legal labor migrants, then what are the conditions in which illegal ones find themselves? They did not go to Germany to work in Auschwitz, Dachau or Majdanek. And none of the Georgian politicians asked the question why German entrepreneurs need Georgian workers? Naturally, only to pay 9,5-2 euros instead of 3. To understand this simple truth, you don’t even need to study the works of Marx.
German, and indeed all other European employers, do not engage in philanthropy. Yes, and you don't have to. And the authorities must understand that sending slaves abroad will not solve economic problems. The destruction of one's own economy, the breaking of old ties (with Russia) that supported this economy, will inevitably lead to legalized slavery in Europe. Politicians don’t care about this - they already live well. But it’s finally time for people to think about it.
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