Why do so many people keep coming up with the 'immigrants do all the jobs we don't want to do' crap?

Question

At the moment there are so many people in this country, UK, that are unemployed. Yes, some of those are lazy or junkies, etc.. that don't want to work but there are a large proportion that want to work but keep coming up against immigrant workers that will work for less money than we legally can. Its not a case of uk people not wanting to do these jobs, its a case of the employers being too greedy and not wanting to pay them fairly.

politics guy
a lot of these workers will work 'off the books' i.e. cash in hand or will work a ridiculous amount of hours at standard rate (below what a uk citizen is legally entitled to) because all their money is being sent 'home' to their family for their businesses there.

Hi david c,
well where do I start?
firstly yeah you do have a piss poor minimum wage, i am not disputing that, but also your cost of living is much lower than the uk.
secondlly £12-£15 an hour, who are you kidding? I am not greedy and do not need £12-£15 per hour wage, £5.50 might not be the best but I would rather work and receive minimum wage than not work and receive 'benefits'.
Thirdly, i do have a job and I am one of those people who 'work long and hard in the terrible weather to put groceries on shelves' and its not that bad.
fourthly, our employment rate is not that low, many unemployed people are not counted on government unemployment statistics due to the benefits or assistance they receive.
Fifthly, i do want foreigners in this country as long as they are legal, and do not receive special treatment.
I feel that perhaps you are a bit pissed off seeing as you have been a UK citizen in previous posts but are now american - american wife and kid not allowed to stay huh?

hi david c,

Were you on benefits when you lived in this country? i don't think you could have been because if you had, you would know thats it not as rosy as receiving x amount of money each week. i am sure some people receive the money you are quoting but there are a lot of other factors that you are not taking into account and figures can be manipulated to say whatever you want,surely as an analyst you realise this. I work for minimum wage because as well as needing the money to survive on, i like the social aspect of it. i also like knowing that what i am doing is helping my country grow and i am portraying a positive role model for my kids, i don't want them to think that being a dole bludger is a good thing. I want them to have a sense of purpose in their life which i feel work can help fulfill.
My home life is great by the way and i am not a fool either, i just want to work - plain and simple. It seems to be quite sad on your part that you don't understand this.

k marx iii

could you please learn to read the question properly before you reply in future. my question concerns an argument which is commonly used to justify the vast amount of immigration we are receiving in this country. at no point did my question refer to anyones skin colour.
yes i am white and i dont think that because i am white you should pay me more but i also think that you shouldn't pay someone less than me because they are not white which you seem to think is acceptable.
also most of the immigration which is occuring at the moment is from europe particulary poland and the last time i checked most of them had the same skin colour as me so your racially offensive answer has no purpose but to offend.
In future if you can't come up with a decent argument don't bother replying.

'you now have a bit of better understanding and the more you talk, the more you learn'

Answer 1

thanks for asking. ive been saying the same but no one listens. where i work there used to be lots of mums, school leavers, students and older people that were made redundant from good jobs but still wanting to work. now there is only polish people because they will start at 5am. mums cant. they will work 60+plus hours for flat rate. overtime rate has been stopped. bosses admire this so english people are no longer welcome. students cant get work in bars etc because immigrants are there working for lowest rate. its very bad here for english workers. they have children to care for so they cant work silly hours. they have mortgages etc. and they are driven out by greedy bosses who want blood

Answer 2

Unfortunately the Uk is now the place to be apparently, with people coming here from everywhere and in years to come there are going to be massive problems.Believe !! The government have well and truly messed up.... the British people are watching their country being flooded,watching their jobs go and watching their traditions die. Everyone for themselves,this country will be in total melt-down in less than ten years time. Get ready for some really tough times ahead.We now have less rights than the newly arrived visitor.Its disgusting what has happened to this country and sad to witness the way people are these days. The councils and police are contributing to it being a miserable country,with more daft rules and ever increasing power.I feel sorry for the kids today and the school leaver with no job.

Answer 3

This excuse is being used in many places in the world. According to some people only people that have been through the experience of immigrating are capable and willing to work. But the truth is that employers do not want to pay legal wages to citizens if they can pay an immigrant less. Has anyone noticed that the list of jobs that 'we (US citizens) won't do' keeps getting longer and longer? Apparently we won't even be computer programmers anymore (if employers have their way).

Answer 4

Because it is true. Most illegals will work long and hard for way below minimum wage standards. Amen to greed !! Here in the States they have allowed many Hispanics to stay legally with a work visa !! Check out the I -35 corridor.Mex trucks will be able to come from Mexico to Canada WITHOUT having to abide by DOT regs ! Most of their "Big Trucks" are pure D junk !! Try that if you are an owner/operator !! Also their fuel prices are way below ours. My question is What Next ???????

Answer 5

In Wisbech Cambridgeshire a local girl was refused a job in the local factory/packing plant because she couldn`t speak Polish. The boss though that there would be a communication problem. This happened quite recently and the MP for that area was going to `look into it?`

Answer 6

Part of the problem with society now i feel sorry for school leavers who if nothing else could get temp jobs ! Now they are all filled by europeans where are they supposed to start on the work ladder ?

Answer 7

politicsguy: you obviously dont live in the real world. MANY of these immigrant workers work cash in hand. also many work for straight time when a UK (indigenous worker) would get more.

Answer 8

You now have a bit of better understanding and the more you talk, the more you learn. , "....Its not people not wanting these jobs but employers too greedy to pay fairly..."

Its a free capitalistic market, why should I pay you more to clean my loos just because you've got white skin, baby? Answer that one Samuel!
And if I am saving a lot of money would I care if this country is populated by three eyed bug humanoids from Mars? Get real.
If you think you can do the job, stop whinging about the pay.

Answer 9

Because they don't know that illegals are taking the following jobs:
Roofers, cement workers, brink layers, carpentry, factory workers, machine operators, and jobs with big employers like Lykes, Tyson Foods, Swift foods and many others.

Everyone just assumes they just pick fruit.

Answer 10

It's true there is no job that "no one" wants to do, if the employers would pay a reasonable wage plenty of people would do the jobs