De Elke Sasse

The Pickers

The Pickers est un voyage dans les champs européens où sont cultivés nos fruits et légumes. Dans le sud de l’Italie, Seydou, originaire du Mali, cueille des oranges. Il n’a pas de contrat et est payé au cageot. Il vit dans une cabane qu’il a construite lui-même dans un lotissement sans eau ni électricité. Myrtilles au Portugal, olives en Grèce, fraises en Espagne : un million de migrant·es travaillent actuellement dans les champs européens. Les cueilleur·euses constituent une main-d’œuvre mobile qui se déplace d’une région à l’autre. La plupart d’entre elleux n’ont pas de contrat ou de salaire minimum ; certain·es sont illégaux·ales ou ont des dettes élevées auprès d’agents. Si l’exploitation dans les chaînes d’approvisionnement telles que le chocolat ou le café est un problème bien connu, il existe un autre goût amer dont nous ne parlons pas : nos fruits et légumes quotidiens sont issus de l’exploitation.

Section : Impact Days

Pays : Portugal, Grèce, Espagne, Italie, Népal

Langues originales : grec, ourdou, portugais, bambara, anglais, italien, espagnol, Darija, népalais

Réalisation

Elke Sasse (Allemagne)

Production

Kristian Kähler (Allemagne)
Berlin Producers Media GmbH

Durée

80'’

Statut de production

Terminé

Finalisé en

Janvier 2024

Impact Statement

Migrants picking our fruit and vegetables should work and live under fair conditions. We want to achieve tangible improvements in the social and political situation of these pickers. We aim to create awareness about illegal and unfair working situations in Europe, to reach out to consumers, supermarkets and political decision-makers, and to strengthen the efforts of NGOs and trade unions working for improvements. We want consumers to make informed, fair choices and for supermarkets to comply with all legal requirements to support human and workers’ rights in their supply chains. The EU and national governments must implement and control laws and regulations, and take responsibility for the people harvesting our fields. Our current priority is on the EU and German supply chain law.

We want to raise awareness about the systematic exploitation of migrants throughout the European growing regions, who harvest the fruit and vegetables that we eat every day.

Impact Goals

For migrant harvest workers to have legal entry visas, documents and job placements, with contracts, social security and minimum wages (no dependency on informal networks), as well as decent accommodation and a working atmosphere free from harassment or discrimination.
For consumers to put pressure on supermarkets to take responsibility for their supply chains, and to demand fair products and exploitation-free labels.
For national and EU-level politicians to lobby to implement legislation on legal migration and documents, with fair working and living conditions.
For educational organisations to screen, inform, educate and discuss the film content.

Impact Strategy

To carry out guerilla actions, preferably with NGOs working on the topic : Place stickers and QR codes on supermarket produce, have ‘living’ oranges and info booths, posters with provocative slogans, hand out fair oranges with information about exploitation. All actions to be shared in media and social media.
Start a new (fake) label: "Exploitation-free"
Produce provocative social media clips.
Based on supply chain law, place a complaint against a supermarket on behalf of a picker.
Start lobbying efforts in collaboration with trade unions, NGOs and lawyers to improve the situation of the pickers.
Organise screenings and discussions in supermarkets, schools, cinemas, and towns where pickers live, in cooperation with unions, fair trade groups and NGOs.
Create a website and educational material.

Contact

Contact principal

Berlin Producers Media GmbH: mariia.schulz@berlin-producers.de

Existing Partners

Organisations
Bread for the world
EZEF – Evangelisches Zentrum für entwicklungsbezogene Filmarbeit
Initiative Lieferkettengesetz
Interbrigadas
Netzwerk der Ernährungsräte
Orangenaktion
Oxfam
Supporting Member of EU Parliament: Lara Wolters, Dutch Rapporteur on the EU supply chain law

Funders
Creative Europe
Journalism Fund Europe

Broadcasters
A WDR/ARD/ARTE 52′ TV version featuring supermarket insiders, the EU supply chain law rapporteur and Oxfam representatives, to air in March 2024.
SRF school TV : 2 x 30′ versions – Switzerland

Others
Deutsche Umwelthilfe
ECCHR – European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights
EMWU – European Migrant Workers Union
INKOTA

Envisaged Partners

Funders
Creative Europe
Journalism Fund Europe

Others
Deutsche Umwelthilfe
ECCHR – European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights
EMWU – European Migrant Workers Union
INKOTA