Kuragraphy of Names and Naming Practices in Nepal

"Kishor Bhai! "Kun khanu vo aja?" (What is your bonus for today, Kisor brother?) "Jaso taso panch ko banaye hau dai" (I just manage of 5 KG). The general conversation of workers while waiting for the transport after the day's work. 

During the summer of 2022, the second phase of ethnography was conducted in the Alentejo, while the first phase was conducted in the Algarve. Sharma (pseudonym) promised me that he would facilitate a temporary bedsharing space; one of his roommates was going to Nepal. I had to make new arrangements before he returned to his place. 

fieldwork 2021

I visited the secretariat office of the raspberry farm located in Zambujieira do Mar. It was already starting the production season, and they asked me to join to work the next day. For the first time in my experience, the farms conducted a mandatory orientation session for the new workers regarding their responsibilities and obligations before starting the work on the field. 

The farm's pathways were gravel, and the temporary estufas were equipped with a meticulously maintained mulching carpet. In the central area, there was a social zone where workers could take rest on the break time and have their breakfast and lunch. 

I was under the supervision of a Ukrainian woman. One of her assistants was her sister, and an additional woman were responsible for quality control. The multinational composition of the workers from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Thailand, Brazil, and Ukraine. The supervisor assigned one primary line to each worker. The workers should be responsible for harvesting and maintaining the line first; after finishing the primary line, they can move forward for the vacant line or help the needy in a situation. 

The company had a work-effective bonus scheme, which means the minimum picking speed should be more than 4 kg per hour. If the worker is less than 4 kg per hour, speed may take action, be fired from work, transferred to the maintenance department, or warned by the latter. 

Picking speed more than 4.25 kg per hour is eligible for a 0.25-euro bonus per kg, and 5 kg would pay to 0.50 cents, 5.5 kg would pay to 0.55 cents, and 6 kg would pay to 0.60 cents. For example, if a worker's total harvest is 34 kg and there are 8 working hours, the harvesting speed is 4.25 kg per hour. The bonus would be calculated as the total harvest of 34 kg multiplied by 0.25, and the bonus amount would be 8.5 euros. 40/8=5kg, 40*0.5=20euros, and the like. 

I observed that the bonus maximisers were exercising power and politics with the supervisor. Each worker wanted that they may have a good primary line; to make that possible, they try to influence the supervisor, and the supervisor also wants to assign near the collection point to his/her favourite workers. The supervisor can easily communicate with the workers who are working near the collection point, or the workers can keep their eyes on the activities of the collection point and comprehend the information more quickly than those who are working at a distance from the collection centre. The supervisory team may assist with packaging during their leisure time, and there is a possibility of retrieving any remaining fruits at the collection point. 

Normally the supervisor favours the bonus maximiser because the supervisor also has the incentive targets to collect the product, and they want to increase the incentive as much as possible. The remote line may have a walking distance of two minutes or more from the collection point. New workers may be appointed in the distance line and must wait for the supervisor's approval of the line clearance and joining the new line and the like. The aggregate output of the day may be influenced by these time intervals. i.e., I finalised the line and informed the supervisor. He/she subsequently visited to approve the line and was waiting for the new appointment. This procedure may take five to ten minutes. In ten minutes, the workers may harvest 2 to 5 kg of raspberry without packaging. 

fieldwork 2022

Self-exploitation is one of the vital strategies of workers to maximise the bonus. Workers keep on self-pressure of rushing and moving fast, skipping going to the restroom and breaks, or reducing break time. Looking for the leftover fruits and sometimes asking for help with friends to complete the targeted. "Why is the bonus such an important thing?" I used to ask with co-workers, and generally they have two answers: the first is "This is the time we have to do hard work and make money," and another is "I am not running for the sake of the money; the standard work is enough, and I don't want to destroy my body for the sake of a small amount of money." Running for the whole day and skipping toilets and breaks may have a crucial impact on their life in the present or in the long run. The immediate impact that I noticed with co-workers is high blood pressure, urine infection, and blood running from the nose, leg and backbone because of long standing. I have some accounts of the doping case of agriculture workers to maximise their performance in European countries. Fortunately, I don't have any account of the use of drugs by co-workers and other workers to bonus maximiser.