The Janov Roma help to clean up forests in Krušné hory

The Janov Roma help to clean up forests in Krušné hory
At 7 am in the Krušné hory (Ore Mountains) it is extremely cold. The first thing Kubas's employees do is make a fire to get warm. Only then they start struggling with the frozen branches covered with snow.
31-year old Jana Facunová is trying to support her family of five by earning some bucks in the forests of Krušné hory. "I was trained as a cook and waitress. I call somewhere and they tell me they have, say, two vacancies, come to see us. But as soon as I show up, they tell me the jobs have been taken," says Facunová. "I have a Czech name - but when they see I am Romani, that's the end."
The Janov Roma spend the day clearing brushwood and scrap timber in the nearby woods for CZK 42 (EUR 1.6) per hour [editor's note: Czech minimum rate is CZK 48.1].
Skeptical voices say that the Roma will not stay long but entrepreneur Pavel Kubas says they are very tenacious and persistent in the hope of integrating in the mainstream society. It may take them longer to adapt to the regular working hours but it is mainly due to the long-term unemployment.
Foto: CzechNews
CzechNews
15. 12. 2008 21:30

Janov - They are lazy and they abuse the social benefit system. This is a common stereotype about Roma prevailing among numerous Czechs. Pavel Kubas, 38-old entrepreneur from Brno, has set himself an uneasy task - he wants to change this generalized perception of Czech Roma, giving the long-term unemployed a chance to work and prove themselves. Kubas's firm Bauherr comp employs some 35 previously unemployed people in north Bohemia.

 

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