Labour migration is a reality and a benefit - and a key issue for trade unions, says Helen Taylor
Working across frontiers
When the EU was set to grow from 15 members to 25 this spring, the tabloid
press surpassed itself.
News of one-legged roofers and fingerless electricians from Bucharest
and Sofia, trying to fiddle the UK’s immigration laws, led to the
resignation of former immigration minister Beverly Hughes. And Britain
was told to prepare itself for an ‘invasion’ of under-skilled,
uncontrollable and untrustworthy workers the moment Europe’s border
moved east on 1 May.
Of course, nothing of the sort happened. It is now well into summer and
the much feared ‘flood’ of hungry migrants has failed to materialise.
What did happen, though, was a further inflammation of the asylum and
immigration debate which has generated much heat and little light over
recent years.
Even respected newspapers and broadcasters often fail to distinguish between
illegal immigrants, ‘bogus’ asylum seekers and economic migrants
– with alarmist stories of aggressive teenage squeegee merchants
and North African clandestines walking through the Channel tunnel in the
dead of night.
What is less often reported is the fact that the UK actually has one of
the lowest proportions of foreign-born labour of all Western industrialised
countries. Far from being a drain on our economy, migrants actually contribute
10% more in taxes than they receive in benefits.
A recent TUC report on migrant workers estimated that every taxpayer would
have to pay an extra penny in the pound to make up for lost taxes if the
country dispensed of migrant labour.
The truth is the UK desperately needs migrant labour. With an ageing population
and shortages in key sectors such as health care, computing and business,
we cannot go it alone.
Over the past five years, there have consistently been half a million
unfilled vacancies in the UK – mostly as a result of shortages in
health, business, services, construction and skilled trades.
One in three doctors in the UK is a migrant and nearly half of all London
nurses originally came to the country as migrant workers. Without them,
the problems in the NHS would be much worse.
Migrant labour also fills unpopular vacancies in low-paid sectors, such
as seasonal agricultural work and catering, with migrant workers taking
70% of catering jobs in London.
Much is made of the potentially negative impact of labour migration on
our economy – supposed higher unemployment for British workers,
wages undercut by foreign workers, the drain on public services. But a
recent report by the Institute for Public Policy Research had only good
things to say about the effects of migrant labour on the economy.
Shortages of certain skills can slow economic growth: by filling these
gaps, migrant workers boost the economy and create more jobs. Migrant
labour also provides short-term relief to the pressure the ageing population
is putting on pensions and the health service.
And migrant workers are themselves consumers in the UK, boosting demand
for products and once again increasing job opportunities.
Rather than fear the newly available pool of European labour, it is better
to recognise its potential contribution to our economy. The government
knows this and, unlike most other European countries, is welcoming labour
from the new accession states before the end of the seven-year transition
period. But it is still sending out mixed messages.
Migrant workers from the new European countries won’t be able to
claim benefits in the UK if they don’t work, with Cyprus and Malta
the only exceptions. Those who do work will not be entitled to benefits
for the first two years.
This means a migrant worker who loses their job within two years will
get no support – which could be an infringement of the social security
rights of EU citizens. It would appear that all Europeans are equal but
some are more equal than others.
This muddled thinking is also reflected in the government’s attitude
to refugees, who are generally portrayed as a drain on our welfare resources.
But the harsh fact is that those refugees who make it to the UK are usually
among the most educated, skilled and resourceful from their communities.
Doctors, lawyers and teachers are seeking sanctuary here, yet are not
allowed to work while their asylum claims are processed – a procedure
which can take years.
Meanwhile, they receive reduced benefits payments – some of them
getting nothing, depending on how they entered the country – and
we look elsewhere for skilled labour.
Trade unions across Europe are becoming increasingly concerned with the
position of migrant workers and are beginning to recognise they have a
crucial role to play in protecting both them and indigenous workers.
The drowning of 20 Chinese cockle pickers in Morecambe in February was
the most extreme example of the high price paid by unregulated migrant
labour. But unacceptable health and safety conditions, low wages, racism
and abuse by traffickers and gang masters are just some of the problems
migrant workers can face in the UK.
Although the tabloid press would have us believe that the greedy migrant
worker is exploiting our over-generous welfare system, the truth is that
they themselves are often victims of exploitation.
Trade unions can help turn the government’s focus towards unscrupulous
employers and away from a demonisation of ‘illegal immigrants’.
They also need to make migrant workers aware that it’s in their
interests to be documented and receive the full protection offered by
European employment legislation.
The bottom line is that the UK needs migrant labour and that people from
the new EU states or beyond might be happy to do some of that work. Some
of them might want to stay for a few months or years. Some might stay
longer. But trade unionists have a duty to ensure that those workers are
treated fairly and with respect, however long they stay.
