Eastern European Immigrants?

Question

I know Polish people are extremely hard working and will do some rubbish jobs and don't get paid well. But I really don't think people realise what is happening in this country. They are allowed to work for something far below the national minimum wage. Because of this, companies are employing them as cheap labour. Where I live, we don't have many jobs, mostly factories, we are all working class and work for crap wages ourselves. No job is below any of us. My boyfriend works 12 hour night shifts in a factory and alot of people I know do. I work in a supermarket, which isn't exactly my career of choice. I have many qaulifications that are useless and I really don't want to move away from my family or home to get a better job. My partner has to travel miles out of town to get to work. The point is, they are taking the few jobs we have and I don't think it's fair. The government should ban these companies from paying the Poles so little.

What if someone is in their 50's and not very well educated. They wouldn't be able to find any low skilled work and are not educated enough to find a better paid job, what should they do?

Bob, they do get paid less than minimum wage it is a fact! I don't mind working anywhere, I just hate it when people say we are all being racist or whatever voicing our concerns about this. Not everyone can move and not everyone wants to leave their families to get another job. If we all did that we would be stealing the jobs of another town. I don't think it's fair on us or the immigrants.

Keep your statements to yourself thankyou, you know what I am saying is true, exploitation of immigrants and not fair for people who are not educated enough to get a better job. My partner spends half his wages on petrol money to get to work. We are not all upper class twits making remarks on things we know nothing about. And personally I don't know anybody on the dole, perhaps that's a rare thing these days.

Ok then, say I wanted to move but my partner doesn't or my children, I can't just leave them all to get a better job now can I. Yeah that's it I'll split up with my boyfriend because I want a career change.

Anyway! why should I leave my home because of immigrants!! Maybe I love where I live. And like I said we don't mind doing these jobs but someone else taking them is a bit unfair wouldn't you say? Do you want to live in a country of people being paid far below minimum wage and living in poverty? How silly that people want to have a country like that. 8 Polish people are crammed into the house we sold, with the living room converted into a bedroom, I know this because a friend has been to one of their parties. Is that a good life? NO.

Serge you gave me a good answer, thankyou. The thing is I am not a materialistic person, I don't want to earn a huge salary to buy whatever I want, I just want to live in the place that I grew up, is that such a wrong thing? I would have no problem what so ever if the immigrants were paid the same. I am all for immigration, the NHS would come to a stand still if we didn't have foreign doctors. Maybe we should be more competative but I love my life and it saddens me that I should have to move just for a bit more money. People are obsessed with money these days.

petrovitc i think u may be takin the p*ss a bit lol = ) but anyway, I think everyone agrees that they work hard. Maybe I should go to get a job somewhere else. But what about people who can't get a better job, what if they are in their 40's or 50's and haven't got many qualifications. They wouldn't be able to find a better job. What should we do about them?

I wanted to see if employers can get away with this, so I looked it up. It said migrant (put the right word there this time lol) workers by law should be paid minimum wage but many companies still plead ignorance. It said alot of companies still get away with it. Maybe the government should crack down on this becasue this happens everywhere around here. I'm not sure many people are aware of their rights and nothing is done about it. Maybe I should do something! I don't know how far I'd get and how to go about doing it. I agree with you all that it's not the migrants we should have an issue with but the companies who get away with it..

Answer 1

I agree with everything you say and admire you for your stance on these matters. Until the laws are changed, thus compelling companies to pay the minimum wage to operatives, no matter what their status is, you will have further exploitation of workers. Dont forget that the rates being paid to immigrant workers here, (albeit well below the minimum wage), is far in excess of what they would earn in their own countries. You also have a situation where welfare agencies look more favourably on requests from immigrants for financial assistance. You have a situation when unskilled jobs become available, of immigrants being hired at the expense of locals. This has to be addressed, but alas the powers that be seem to be burying their heads in the sand in this regard.

Answer 2

I totally agree. Unfortunately we share this country with some very greedy people would would sell their Granny for an ipod, let alone you.

We have to worry about immigration, we are an island, we have limited space and limited resources that diminish with time; the money will leave this country without so much as a goodbye when it finally ends up as a third world shite hole!

You could re-train, but like the Nurses, by the time your training is over, the jobs will be gone

We now have a shite education system, forcing more of OUR citizens into low paid work and a stream of immigrants all competing for it! Combine this with the rush of companies taking their employment abroad to make yet more profit and you have a not so happy little island heading down the toilet.

You will want to move one day, that day will be when you look around and realise that England's Green and pleasant land is now a sewage plant! and all those chasing the money and thinking they understand the REAL issues here, will finally realise what you were on about!

Answer 3

Hi Lyn C.

A good issue. Well said.

My hubby has 3 degrees one of which is a masters and 20 years experience as an engineer. He has applied for loads of jobs but keeps getting told he is over qualified by some twonk who obviously can't do his/her job properly and is worried that he/she will get found out.

The last job he went for, the bloke that got the job was ex-navy. He got the job because the interviewer was ex-navy. Not because he could do the job properly.

How soul destroying is that? All he wants is to go to work but it seems no-one will employ him in his area of expertise. He is very good at his job and was published last year. He is 45, unfortunately he has osteoarthritis so labouring is not an option.

I thought we had skills shortages?

He even applied for a management job in Tescos but they wouldn't take him on because they said he would not stay very long. Apparently the interviewer could not have been more than 25. Like she knew what she was talking about? I don't think so.

I know it really annoys him and it is driving him mad but he never shows it. He just says "Better luck next time."

The poor love really deserves better than this. I dread to think what he would do if ever he found out an immigrant got a job that he had applied for because they were cheaper.

Answer 4

Well, the law is the law, and if companies are paying less than minimum wage, then the migrant (not immigrant) workers can do something about it for up to 7-years following the date of the offence.

That's the first point.

Secondly, anyone who KNOWS that companies are employing migrant workers at less than statutory rates, they have a public duty to report those companies to the Dept. of Trade & Industry.

Thirdly, I would encourage ALL migrant workers to join a trade-union, which the employers may not like, but about which they can do nothing.

So your question and related comments are not really valid, because it has nothing to do with a lack of LAW that the rules are perhaps being broken, but a question of CRIMINALITY on the part of rogue employers and especially on the part of bad employment agencies.

Don't just moan about it....gather evidence and get these employers prosecuted!

The Eastern Europeans are great people by and large, and they deserve to be treated fairly.

Answer 5

I do not migrate anywhere. I'm at home in Russia. I'm specialist in International Trade. Even I stayed in a foreign country looking for a better life.

It is simple equation: products from UK are bought because the price is not so much different from German or French products. If the manufacturer increase the salaries to these Polish workers, he will be put into a situation to increase the product prices. If the product prices increase, you will not buy these products and nobody else will buy. This is economics.

This is the question of competition. You don't have to rent an appartment, you don't have the expenses Polish workers have. The only possibility is to increase your own value. You have competitive advantages comparing to the Polish migrants. For example, you can learn a foreign language or to obtain a new degree at your school system. If you do not want, you'll stay without money, without job. This is only the competition question.

What is more, our factory in UK, in Garstang, will be closed in few years. They are not competitive.

Do not say the others are guilty. I like the American competition system - you have to compete and you earn money. If you don't you stay out.

Answer 6

You paint a grim picture indeed of trying to survive in a run-down part of the country. The govt is responsible for enforcing the minimum wage legislation, and these wages do not apply only to UK citizens.

So rather than blame the immigrants, we must realise that once again it is our own govt & public sector which is failing to make companies behave the way they should. It seems to be really bad (and always has been) at policing businesses, and this is scandalous.

Answer 7

I actually have continuously held the view - and that i can not replace - that immigration became Blair's way of defeating commerce unions with out taking them head-on. imagine about it ........ if a large style of Polish human beings, as an party, are keen to artwork for far less pay than a British man or woman, yet in truth have become so a lot more desirable pay than they might get staying in Poland, they received't be interested in business action or turning out to be a member of a Union because they are very pleased with their lot. Edit > lengthy Johns answer proves my aspect and that i did not recognize this reliable action. basically shows what a genius i'm.

Answer 8

I think you've answered your own question - you say you have qualifications that are useless and you don't want to move away from friends and family. How can you expect success? This is how the world works. People have been forced to migrate to ensure survival for thousands of years. It's always been survival of the fittest - you have to be able to compete with the opposition. These days, that means marketable qualifications and a flexible attitude to where you live. The poles are very flexible about where they live.

Answer 9

here's the thing... if there weren't so many lazy unemployed layabout brits who grab all the can from the state, or career mums who have kids to avoid work, then there wouldn't be all these low pay jobs for the Polish to do...so, if we did something about al the scroungers, it would have a knock on effect on exploiting hard working immigrants. Oh, and for anyone who is thinking it... The poles (or any other Eastern European worker) aren't the problem. we cause our own problem, so stop, think, and keep your stupid statements to yourselves

Answer 10

Noone legally employes people Polish or otherwise for less than NMW.
That is the whole point of a MINIMUM wage. These people are citizens of Europe, many of whom leave family behind to work in the UK as there isn't even a decent welfare system for them, or decent state funded education to gain qualifications that would allow them to have better prospects.
Why don't you move, if you want the money go get it, don't whine that other people have a get up and go that you lack.