Tomato Justice (7) - Pickers

There is no doubt that the tomato pickers are being paid a very low wage rate. However, low wages are not proof of injustice. If they have freely agreed to the work for these rates, there is no injustice. An injustice has only occurred, if the workers are so poor that they have been forced to accept the wages against their will. I do not have enough information to answer that question. However, it is unlikely that all the tomato pickers are destitute. Those who are not would not have accepted the offered rate, if they did not think they were reasonable.

If all workers refused the rate offered, then employer would have no choice but to offer a higher rate, or find another way to pick his tomatoes. The fact that tomato grower has been able to employ enough pickers suggests that a significant number of people have freely accepted the wages offered.

There are some key questions that need to be asked before coming up with a solution to this problem.

1. Why is picking tomatoes for such a low wage the best employment opportunity for these people? Are their no other employment opportunities in the region. It is strange that they cannot find better-paying employment, given that they work so hard. Are they living in the wrong place? Maybe they need to move to where there is more work available. Christians could assist with this.
2. Are they emigrants without education and language skills. Sometimes people have to take lower paid work while they are learning to speak the language and get skills that will open up better paid employment.
3. Are the same people doing this work year after year? I would be worried if that was the case. They might need help with language training and work skills. Christians who are concerned could assist with this.
4. The pickers might be moving on to better work and being replaced by others after a short time picking tomatoes? If this low paid work is a path way to better paid employment, it might be a good opportunity for those wanting to get started in employment.
5. Why are there no employers in the region, if there are good people looking for work? Maybe there is an opportunity for a Christian entrepreneur, to find a way of utilising these people better.

I do not see an evil structure at work in this situation. McDonalds are not doing something evil or committing a crime. The tomato grower might not be being generous, but he is not sinning.

Justice does not provide a solution to this situation. Mercy will actually do much better. Working with the tomato pickers to provide education and skills, mercy can give them choices and make them capable of more productive and better paid work.

Even if the tomato pickers are being treated unjustly, the best solution would be for a Christian entrepreneur to set up a business that will provide better work for them. Instead of telling McDonalds what to do, Christians should do something about this problem themselves.

This complete series is here.