UK Trades Union Congress Wants Bulgarians, Romanians In, Scotland Welcomes Bulgarian Job Seekers

Standard Daily; www.novinite.com 11th September 2006

Scotland is ready to welcome Bulgarian and Romanian job seekers even if Great Britain decides to introduce restrictions for these two countries' workers after they become full members of the Union, The Sunday Times writes. The newspaper quotes Jack McConnell, high-ranking representative of Scottish government, in whose opinion fresh immigrants will resolve the demographic crisis in the country, where the birth rate has slumped in recent years. Currently we are discussing a solution that will enable the Bulgarian and Romanian qualified workers to find jobs in Scotland easier than in the other parts of Great Britain, McConnell said in an interview with Sunday Times.
Meanwhile, a survey quoted by the same newspaper shows that Ireland needs at least 30,000 immigrants a year to fill vacancies in service sector. According to a report of the International Organization for Migration, fresh labor force from Eastern Europe is not used efficiently. Instead of harnessing high potential of these qualified workers, business owners often employ them as dishwashers.
Britain should open its jobs market to workers from Bulgaria and Romania if their countries join the European Union next year, says Brendan Barber, Trades Union Congress general secretary, as cited by the Financial Times.
The statement comes to oppose the stand of some of Britain's leading employers' organization, such as CBI and British Chambers of Commerce, who called for a "pause" before allowing Bulgarians and Romanians unrestricted access to British jobs.
The CBI says the country needs to take stock after larger than expected numbers of migrant workers flocked to Britain after the first wave of eastern European countries to join the EU in 2004.
"We do not deny that recent arrivals from new EU members have had an impact but this is because the UK's lax employment rights regime allows employers to exploit migrant workers and use this to undermine terms and conditions", says Barber. "The solution is to end the exploitation, not put up the shutters."
He points out that young healthy migrant workers make a net contribution to the economy and to the public finances through their tax.
"The solution, therefore, is to invest in proper social infrastructure."
"Putting up the barriers is not practical. You cannot stop Romanians and Bulgarians coming to the UK, nor can you stop them working if they are self-employed. If you ban direct employment, all you will do is drive down wages and conditions even more by encouraging bogus self-employment."
Brendan Barber said he was disappointed the CBI are urging caution.
"It is al-most as if they would rather put up barriers than face the need for better worker rights. Yet many big, responsible companies agree with us on free movement. I challenge them today to work with us and accept that better protection must go with the arrival of new potentially vulnerable workers."


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