Austria’s wealth, Austria’s exploitation of its neighbouring countries

A demand of the Austrian Green Party: a minimum of 7,50 € per hour

( ci-dessous un résumé en français)

I recently spoke with a young Slovakian woman who was selling Austrian strawberries in a pedestrian zone close to my place. She spends 8 to 10 hours a day on her feet selling only fresh strawberries and a few jars of jam. As she seemed to be quite bored, I decided to strike up a conversation with her. I then greeted her in her mother toungue, at which point she began to speak quite openly with regards to her working conditions. It turns out that she is paid a mere 3 € an hour. She the went on to say: « I know it’s not a lot for you in Austria but for us in Slovakia it’s ok. » She sold the strawberries for 2,90 € per 500g (4,90 €/kg), which means that in an hour, she’s paid the equivalent of 500g strawberries.