War in Ukraine: Does Tönnies take advantage of the plight of the refugees?

The meat company Tönnies is recruiting workers for its locations in Germany from among the refugees on the Polish-Ukrainian border. This meets with sharp criticism.

In the Polish border town of Przemyśl, Germany’s largest slaughterhouse, Tönnies, is distributing leaflets intended to recruit Ukrainians who have fled the war to work as production workers. Such a flyer, which is distributed on site, suits him ARD political magazine Panorama in front.

Tönnies confirms on request from panorama the recruitment attempts. Three employees were sent to the Polish-Ukrainian border so that they could offer jobs to the mostly female war refugees. “We offer eleven euros an hour, which is above the legal minimum wage,” explains Tönnies spokesman Fabian Reinkemeier. In addition, the refugees are offered transport to Germany and accommodation. The cost of accommodation will be deducted from the salary, as can be seen from the handout.

Chaotic conditions in reception camps

Patrick Walkowiak from the refugee aid organization Friends of Medyka experienced the recruitment attempts in the reception center in Przemyśl and spoke to the Tönnies employees. They would have given him to understand that he did not want to take small children or the elderly with him, but only people who could also work at Tönnies. Walkowiak was also handed the letter with the company’s job offer.

Walkowiak describes the situation at the Polish border town as chaotic. New refugees are constantly arriving, most of whom want to go to Germany. They would have to wait in the reception center for days. “There is a lack of buses and other transport options,” says Walkowiak. According to the refugee worker, the refugees are in an absolute emergency and, in this extreme situation, cannot understand the recruitment attempts.

Tönnies: Help refugees on site

Tönnie’s questionable recruitment attempts are tasteless, says Inge Bultschneider from the “WerkFAIRträger” interest group. The initiative has been working for years to improve the working and living conditions of migrants in the meat industry. Until the beginning of the war, Tönnies had known that he was a friend of Putin. “Getting rich from misery and selling it as a good deed is nothing new in the meat industry. We experienced something similar in 2015 with the wave of refugees,” says Bultschneider.

Tönnies cannot understand the criticism. “We help the war refugees on site and offer them prospects for the future,” says Tönnies spokesman Fabian Reinkemeier. About a dozen refugees from Ukraine have already been hired at two locations in Germany. “We have occasionally brought women with children to us because we were able to find family-friendly accommodation for them on the private housing market,” says Reinkemeier.

He does not confirm that no small children or the elderly should be taken along. He also refers to the personal commitment of the CEO. At the beginning of March, Clemens Tönnies accompanied a transport with aid supplies for Ukraine refugees in Poland and donated long-lasting canned sausages.

Offers of help only for able-bodied people

Clara Bünger, spokeswoman for refugee policy for the left in the Bundestag, criticizes the fact that Tönnies is taking advantage of the plight of the people with the recruitment attempts. “Limiting his offer of help to individuals who agree to work at his meat plants is stunning.”

Tönnies admits that he is specifically on the lookout for workers at the border. “At the moment the focus is on recruiting individuals,” says Tönnies spokesman Reinkemeier. “Only if the refugees work at Tönnies can they be accommodated in our official apartments.” The municipalities are not yet ready to provide sufficient accommodation.

The state would have to provide sufficient transport options

For Clara Bünger from the left faction, this is an excuse, after all, Tönnies can have people brought to Germany by bus, regardless of the question of accommodation. The refugees have the right to accommodation there. The left-wing politician also sees those responsible as having a duty. “This incident underlines how important it is that the German side must also ensure adequate infrastructure, in particular sufficient transport options, so that refugees are not dependent on dubious offers from companies like Tönnies in the first place.”

Refugee helper Walkowiak calls for more support from established aid organizations. “Buses must be made available quickly to support the transport of the many refugees in the border region.”