By Elke Sasse

The Pickers

The Pickers is a journey to European fields where our fruit and vegetables are grown. In Southern Italy, Seydou from Mali picks oranges. He has no contract and is paid per crate. He lives in a self-built hut in a settlement without water or electricity. Blueberries in Portugal, olives in Greece, strawberries in Spain – one million migrants currently work in European fields. The pickers are the mobile workforce travelling from one area to the next. Most do not have contracts or minimum wages; some are illegal or have high debts with agents. While exploitation in supply chains like chocolate or coffee is a well-known issue, there is another bitter taste we do not talk about: Our daily fruit and veg are rooted in exploitation. There might be a way out of this system: Pape from Senegal is producing fair oranges in southern Italy. Could this become the new normal?

Section : Impact Days

Country : Portugal, Greece, Spain, Italy, Nepal, Nepal

Original languages : Greek, Urdu, Portuguese, Bambara, English, Italian, Spanish, Darija, Nepali, Nepali

Director

Elke Sasse (Germany)

Producers

Kristian Kähler (Germany)
Berlin Producers Media GmbH

Completion

January 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

Primary contact

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