The Janov Roma help to clean up forests in Krušné hory

1/8 Přehled fotografií
It is shortly before 6am in Janov, a prefab neighbourhood of the north Bohemian town of Litvínov. Pavel Kubas, an entrepreneur from Brno wearing a leather jacket, is meeting a group of some 20 Roma people to take them to the forest.
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.
During a short break it is time to warm up at the fire. Monika Demeterová takes off her gloves and reveals her well-cared for nails. Trained as a shop assistant, she could not find a job as one: "It's enough if I introduce myself and they don't have any vacancies. When my Czech boyfriend calls, they do."
Roman Kakara (22) now has a job after eight years of schooling followed by unemployment.
Entrepreuner Pavel Kubas provides free lunch to his employees - baked sausages, mustard and bread. The CD player is not playing, since the batteries went dead in the cold weather.