Immigrants: "Give us permits or we'll turn to crime"

[Oblivion]

Protesting immigrants were making thinly-veiled threats yesterday, that any government action to curb foreign worker permits would lead to them "going underground" and working in the black economy. Activists from the pro-immigrant lobbyist group, the Migrant Rights Centre, were also present at the protests, claiming that any curbs on cheap, third-world labour will lead to a "loss of revenue" and "push them ( immigrants ) into the shadows."

Independent:

"Angry migrants who face new fees of up to €2,250 to renew their work permits let the Tanaiste know how they felt, writes Anne-Marie Walsh. Protesters held a demonstration outside the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment over changes to the permit system that start on Monday. They appealed to Tanaiste and Enterprise Minister Mary Coughlan to stop the changes, claiming they will force migrant workers underground." Full story: New work permit fee angers migrants - National News, Frontpage - Independent.ie

In a seperate development, it was also revealed that yet more jobs are being outsourced to Asia. Phone directory firm will axe 90 staff as work shifts to Manila

Irish people are now realising the true costs of globalisation and so-called "free" trade; a battle on two fronts. Irish workers are being forced to compete with ultra cheap foreign labour at home, even as jobs continue to be outsourced abroad and unemployment doubles inside 12 months.

[Clanrickard]

Irish people are now realising the true costs of globalisation and so-called "free" trade; a battle on two fronts. Irish workers are being forced to compete with ultra cheap foreign labour at home, even as jobs continue to be outsourced abroad and unemployment doubles inside 12 months.

I don't get this post. The Tanaiste is doing something about migrants by charging them high prices to work here thus curbing their numbers. There is nothing we can do if a phone centre moves to Manila.

[Oblivion]

The Tanaiste is doing something about migrants by charging them high prices to work here thus curbing their numbers.

Yes, action is being taken.... but only because the economic calamity has forced it. After having neglected sensible immigration controls for over a decade, this sudden u-turn will not be easy to accomplish.

Don't expect immigrants to politely pack-up and go home. With mass unemployment, will come rising crime and a booming black economy.

In that sense, the protesters are absolutely correct.

[Staropramen]

"Angry migrants who face new fees of up to €2,250 to renew their work permits".

Thats some amount, how do they work out the charge? A percentage of ones earnings?

[Wendy]

Protesting immigrants were making thinly-veiled threats yesterday, that any government action to curb foreign worker permits would lead to them "going underground" and working in the black economy. Activists from the pro-immigrant lobbyist group, the Migrant Rights Centre, were also present at the protests, claiming that any curbs on cheap, third-world labour will lead to a "loss of revenue" and "push them ( immigrants ) into the shadows."

Independent:

"Angry migrants who face new fees of up to €2,250 to renew their work permits let the Tanaiste know how they felt, writes Anne-Marie Walsh. Protesters held a demonstration outside the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment over changes to the permit system that start on Monday. They appealed to Tanaiste and Enterprise Minister Mary Coughlan to stop the changes, claiming they will force migrant workers underground." Full story: New work permit fee angers migrants - National News, Frontpage - Independent.ie

In a seperate development, it was also revealed that yet more jobs are being outsourced to Asia. Phone directory firm will axe 90 staff as work shifts to Manila

Irish people are now realising the true costs of globalisation and so-called "free" trade; a battle on two fronts. Irish workers are being forced to compete with ultra cheap foreign labour at home, even as jobs continue to be outsourced abroad and unemployment doubles inside 12 months.

For argument's sake:

1. Are there jobs to be had in the so-called black economy?

1. The chances are that a lot of the workers in a call centre are not Irish.

1. The answer to having to compete with lower wage costs in the rest of the world (and I lost my job for that very reason) is to bring down wages here, not to turn against globalisation, which is what brought the multinationals here in the first place.

[Staropramen]

Great way to get the general public supporting your plight. Hinting at criminality and working in the black market while hundreds of thousands of Irish people find themselves unemployed. The Migrant Council of Irelands employees should do a course in basic PR.

[Oblivion]

Are there jobs to be had in the so-called black economy?

Yes. For example, the number of brothels in Dublin has just doubled:

Boom times in Dublin for Chinese 'massages' - National News, Frontpage - Independent.ie

The chances are that a lot of the workers in a call centre are not Irish.

This reinforces the point that Irish workers are being out-competed, both at home and abroad. And even if those call centre workers aren't Irish, they will no longer be paying taxes from those jobs into the Irish purse, nor will they be spending their disposable incomes on consumer goods inside Ireland. It's a double whammy. They'll either be on the dole, or pushed into other low-skilled jobs.

It isn't just the jobs we're losing; it's the tax revenues and future income streams that are being outsourced. That's a lethal cocktail.

The answer to having to compete with lower wage costs in the rest of the world (and I lost my job for that very reason) is to bring down wages here, not to turn against globalisation, which is what brought the multinationals here in the first place.

Bring down wages here, in a race to the bottom?

So, you think it's a good idea for Irish workers to compete with foreign nationals who are working, inside Ireland, for €2 an hour? How do Irish people compete with that? Should we lower the minimum wage to €1.50 per hour?

A race to the bottom is a race that Ireland cannot possibly win. We either create highly productive, wealth generating, hi-tech jobs of the 21st century,

or we sink.

[eurosceptic]

I do have to say non-european (EU + EFTA) workers get treated appallingly by the government. Whats even more bizarre is that the same europhiles who react in horror (cry racist, xenophobe etc) at proposals for restrictions on european workers are so silent on this.

[Oblivion]

I do have to say non-european (EU + EFTA) workers get treated appallingly by the government.

Funny, then, that so many hundreds of thousands of non-EU nationals have chosen to travel vast distances in order to permanently settle in Ireland, isn't it?

You'd almost think they like it here, or something...

[cactusflower]

Would someone who knows confirm whether or not working in the black economy is a criminal offence ? If it is, almost everyone who lived in Ireland in the 1980s would have a criminal in their family.

Is anyone seriously trying to suggest that immigration caused the world economic crisis?