Fruit Packing Worker

You work the grading line: fruit tipped from the bin, damaged and undersized pieces taken off the belt, and the rest sorted by the calibrator into size channels. At the packing station you line the tray, place the fruit so the stalk does not mark the piece below, weigh the box against the target and close it with the label facing out. Full boxes are palletised to the pattern and moved to the cold room. Hours are 08:00-17:00 with overtime paid when the harvest is heavy.

Basic schooling and the right to work in Portugal

No previous experience required, the line is learned in a day

Steady hands and attention to bruising, colour and size

Able to stand and to repeat the same movement through a shift

Willing to work overtime and Saturdays during the peak weeks

Basic English for labels, grade charts and safety signs

Net salary from 840 up to 924 EUR per month

Seasonal contract with Social Security from the first day

Meal allowance of 5,25 EUR for every worked day under the sector agreement

Overtime and Saturdays paid at the agreement rate

Shared accommodation for workers coming from outside the district

Company transport from Setubal and from Alcacer do Sal

Overalls, gloves, hair net and non slip shoes provided

Workers who return for a second season are offered the calibrator and cold room positions, which are paid at the higher grade and run for a longer part of the year. Some of those posts become permanent.

A packing shed with a water bath, a grading line and a cold room next door, held at about 14 degrees on the line and 2 degrees in the chamber. Overalls, gloves, hair net and non slip shoes are mandatory and are supplied by the employer.