... about the working class Romanian diaspora. Loudéac constitutes and interesting case study. It is a small town (under 10k inhabitants for the municipality proper, over 14k for the wider area) with Romanians making up a compact community of recent immigrants. 2/ - ThreadSky

bastonmihaita.bsky.social • 10 days ago

... about the working class Romanian diaspora. Loudéac constitutes and interesting case study. It is a small town (under 10k inhabitants for the municipality proper, over 14k for the wider area) with Romanians making up a compact community of recent immigrants. 2/

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bastonmihaita.bsky.social•10 days ago

Now, back in 2023 journalists Caroline Chambon and Julien Gouesmat wrote a very detailed article about the Romanians of Loudéac⬇️. The piece shows a much more nuanced sociological picture than the one painted by many Romanian sources. 3/
https://www.streetpress.com/sujet/1702239255-abattoirs-bretagne-bretons-roumains-travailleurs-precaires-etrangers-agroalimentaire

bastonmihaita.bsky.social•10 days ago

These people are not earning fortunes but they're not exactly bottom earners either (compare 13 EUR/h with the legal minimum 9.4 EUR/h). Their work is physically demanding and the conditions tough and they often work in Romanian-only teams. 4/

bastonmihaita.bsky.social•10 days ago

These workers do not have the experience of unions and clearly form an underclass.
Sometimes their children manage to integrate in the French education system but this is not always the case and some youths return to Romania. 5/

bastonmihaita.bsky.social•10 days ago

Very important aspect: these people were already working in their native country. They are not the Lumpenproletariat many comments on social media depict. They are people who were working hard and simply not managing to make enough to eat. They were forced into emigration. 6/

bastonmihaita.bsky.social•10 days ago

Also, again, this is recent immigration. The 2010s. These people did not experience the administrative difficulties of the previous generation of immigrants and may not realize the difference an EU passport makes.
Overall, they are the left-behind of Romania's economic... 7/

bastonmihaita.bsky.social•10 days ago

... transition. Statistically, the past 35 years were a miracle for Romania. Individually, millions and millions of Romanians went through very traumatic experiences. And no politician speaks to them except for the far-right.
The "pro-European" candidate won the... 8/

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