Belarusian women get into strawberry slavery
Having read an announcement about seasonal work in Poland, 12 Belarusian women from Hrodna decided to go and earn some money but found themselves in labour slavery instead. Nadzeya, the organizer of the “tour”, promised they would earn 450 euro per month and even more, the women were supposed to be living in a summer house with a shower, bathroom and toilet and would have four good meals a day. The women didn’t even have to pay for their visas and tickets. But reality turned out to be clouded.
One of the victims, Liliya, left her job to go to Poland. She describes the living conditions in Mr. Roman Dambowski’s mansion in Tsepelyu village:
Lіlіya: “We were accommodated in a hen house and given air beds that had to be reswelled every 4 hours. We had to wake 2 times during the night to puff them up. The water in the shower was cold and the shower itself looked disgusting, it was impossible to go there. We were given the cheapest pate that was available and made sandwiches 4 times a day”.
The door of the hen house was locked every night. The women complained to the host but he didn’t pay any attention to them. The work started at 5 a.m. and ended at 10 p.m. They lacked water, suffered from heat and were even forbidden to eat strawberries. They were paid according to the amount of berries they gathered but Liliya says that Belarusians were sent to such fields where it was impossible to earn anything.
Lіlіya: “We were sent to gather the smallest strawberries. If we missed one or two strawberries in a row we were made to look through it from the start. We had to sort out rotten berries and were not paid for it. Polish women earned 100 zlotys a day and we earned only 10-15 zlotys.
The women had no medical aid at all. When one of them had a heart attack the host didn’t even call an ambulance. It was the tractor driver who did it – he couldn’t see how other people were suffering. Doctors gave the woman an injection and advised her to go to hospital. The advice remained unanswered.
The Belarusians endured it for a week. It turned out that those who didn’t work till the end of the term of the contract had to pay a 2500 euro fine. But the women couldn’t live like that anymore and phoned to the hot line Brest “Club of business women”. The head of the club Larysa Istomava immediately turned to the police and the Ministry of Foreign Affaires.
Larysa Іstomava: “We phoned the department on prevention of human traffic. They phoned the Ministry of Foreign Affaires. As a result, 9 people were released.”
The press secretary of the Belarusian Embassy to Poland in Warsaw Dzmitry Vybarny said that a car was immediately sent for the women.
Dzmіtry Vybarny: “On June 9 the head of the consular service of the diplomatic mission went to the village in a minibus and our compatriots were taken to Hrodna on the night of June 10”.
The women were even paid some money. But Liliya says that she still owes Mr. Dambrowski about 300 zlotys. The Belarusians confessed they hadn’t read the contract attentively. A “strawberry tour” victim Liliya explained ERB why it happened.
Lіlіya: “We got them 5 minutes before the departure of the train in Kuznitsy. They were in Polish. We read them and grabbed the general sense but could not translate them in detail”.
The press secretary of the Belarusian Embassy to Poland in Warsaw Dzmitry Vybarny says that they informed the Polish police about the behaviour of Mr. Dambrowski in connection with his treatment of foreign workers. It is impossible to do anything else to punish the dishonest employer because it can only be done by the Polish police.
One of the victims, Liliya, left her job to go to Poland. She describes the living conditions in Mr. Roman Dambowski’s mansion in Tsepelyu village:
Lіlіya: “We were accommodated in a hen house and given air beds that had to be reswelled every 4 hours. We had to wake 2 times during the night to puff them up. The water in the shower was cold and the shower itself looked disgusting, it was impossible to go there. We were given the cheapest pate that was available and made sandwiches 4 times a day”.
The door of the hen house was locked every night. The women complained to the host but he didn’t pay any attention to them. The work started at 5 a.m. and ended at 10 p.m. They lacked water, suffered from heat and were even forbidden to eat strawberries. They were paid according to the amount of berries they gathered but Liliya says that Belarusians were sent to such fields where it was impossible to earn anything.
Lіlіya: “We were sent to gather the smallest strawberries. If we missed one or two strawberries in a row we were made to look through it from the start. We had to sort out rotten berries and were not paid for it. Polish women earned 100 zlotys a day and we earned only 10-15 zlotys.
The women had no medical aid at all. When one of them had a heart attack the host didn’t even call an ambulance. It was the tractor driver who did it – he couldn’t see how other people were suffering. Doctors gave the woman an injection and advised her to go to hospital. The advice remained unanswered.
The Belarusians endured it for a week. It turned out that those who didn’t work till the end of the term of the contract had to pay a 2500 euro fine. But the women couldn’t live like that anymore and phoned to the hot line Brest “Club of business women”. The head of the club Larysa Istomava immediately turned to the police and the Ministry of Foreign Affaires.
Larysa Іstomava: “We phoned the department on prevention of human traffic. They phoned the Ministry of Foreign Affaires. As a result, 9 people were released.”
The press secretary of the Belarusian Embassy to Poland in Warsaw Dzmitry Vybarny said that a car was immediately sent for the women.
Dzmіtry Vybarny: “On June 9 the head of the consular service of the diplomatic mission went to the village in a minibus and our compatriots were taken to Hrodna on the night of June 10”.
The women were even paid some money. But Liliya says that she still owes Mr. Dambrowski about 300 zlotys. The Belarusians confessed they hadn’t read the contract attentively. A “strawberry tour” victim Liliya explained ERB why it happened.
Lіlіya: “We got them 5 minutes before the departure of the train in Kuznitsy. They were in Polish. We read them and grabbed the general sense but could not translate them in detail”.
The press secretary of the Belarusian Embassy to Poland in Warsaw Dzmitry Vybarny says that they informed the Polish police about the behaviour of Mr. Dambrowski in connection with his treatment of foreign workers. It is impossible to do anything else to punish the dishonest employer because it can only be done by the Polish police.
