Protest against foreign workers

[Eric]

Originally Posted by cashman

if it was put to referendum Eric, it probably would, then again the dingles might win the champions league.

So the problem is that you don't have a govt. or a major political party with the balls enough to do it So, when England win the World Cup (and the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup) and they are having snowball fights in Hell, there will be a referendum ... I think I got it

[accyman]

we are of course talking about a country that dosnt have an elected leader that has been voted for so why the hell would they let us vote to stay in europe or not

[polly]

We cant opt out of the EU cos that would finish off farming here, without the EU who is going to pay all our farmers to keep their fields empty? Anyway the way Brown is going on we will need to borrow heavily from EU, due to him spending all our money propping up his friends, the bankers

[jaysay]

I think the thing that is happening with the Oil Company Total UK is that the contract to refurbish these sites has gone to an Italian company who are obviously using Italian labour. What was to stop these contracts going to British Companies instead, it really does make a mockery of the statement made by Brown "British Jobs for British workers"

[MargaretR]

Several refinery sites have had walk-outs today - including Grangemouth -so Spuggie may well have been involved

[Mancie]

Gordon Brown nor the E.U made the decision to employ foriegn workers... it's the board of directors and shareholders that frankly couldn't give a toss about British working people or this economy.

[lancsdave]

Originally Posted by Mancie

Gordon Brown nor the E.U made the decision to employ foriegn workers... it's the board of directors and shareholders that frankly couldn't give a toss about British working people or this economy.

Is that because most British business has been sold off to foreigners ?

[SPUGGIE J]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

Several refinery sites have had walk-outs today - including Grangemouth -so Spuggie may well have been involved

Sorry Margaret I dont work there. Though I am not suprised at all with this carry on and its not just the refinery gang with the issue its a lot of the associated industries as well. Nearly 12 years since I was last in there and would never go back its a dangerous place to work and thats nowt to do with "imported labour" its the way its run.

[Jim Procter]

There are going to be big problems with this company employing Italian workers. The Italians on the Hotel Boat in Grimsby Dock are terrified of leaving the ship because there are people waiting for them on the dockside. Whilst I am totally against this there are jobs at stake here Families to support Mortgages to be paid How would you feel if some foreigner half-hitched your job Let me make a forecast--In the next couple of weeks Petrol Wagons will be stopped from leaving the refineries by the Unions. That will concentrate a few minds No petrol on the forecourts will soon bring the government to start to realise that the ordinary guy in the street is prepared to stand up for his job.British jobs for British workers. You said it Mr. Brown Now stand by your words

[SPUGGIE J]

the last time there was a protest at the refinery not much really came of it and it was very civilised. Now sadly I think there could be one hell of a backlash if all affected parts of the economy (whats left) pitch in. The issue will never go away as the benifits system does make it easier for some groups not to work. Also as mentioned these "imports" will work all hours for minimum wage which I have done myself. There are many out there who will not work because the wage they expect is far beyond what is reasonable.

Remember the hullabaloo over the minimum wage and the disaster it would be? Did it really happen that disaster? The imports will work for it knowing it is a gaurenteed minimum hourly rate. I have worked for it and have the principle that its better to have a job that puts coin in the pocket than no job at all. It seems that these workers were freely accepted when we needed them with open arms but now that we have a recession then its "lets export our imports and give the jobs to british workers.

Now if our education system was better and there was more of the good old fashioned apprenticeships then we would not have a skill shortage here that needs filled by "imports." We need to start at the begining again by teaching and training for the jobs of the future to avoid this unholy mess. Dosnt matter which party is in power they need to start it as soon as they can. I am not saying as a country we should be specialists in a certain field nor do a bit of everything but find a happy balance. The EU expansion may have come with issues but some with specialist knowlege have come over. Ok we get the free loading kind were the benifits system we have can work to there advantagebut to overhall it could leave those that genuinly need it in limbo with no support.

Would the American version work in my opinion no it would be a step back but we can take what is good about it and ignore the rest. Those that want a job will find work and those that dont will find a way to expoit the system. When a guy who has 3 kids is better off on the benifits ringroad than employed with all the benifits he can recieve then we do have a problem. The so called retraining schemes are no better than the YTS and all the variants that there has been.

Yet to throw out all those not British would make it no diferernt than the early part of the 20c when there were trade and employment barriers which in some cases there still is. We have as a country benifited from the "imports" and should be thankfull to those that did contribute but the hard bit is finding a way to lessen the impact when things are tight. Unions are happy in the good times as those who do contribute make it easier for their members. Sometimes an employer gets more work per pound hour out of an "import" than out of the resident worker which is down to culture not a case of "sticking it up the British" so to speak.

If you look at those that we rely on most in the NHS for instance how many are "imports" especially in critical disiplines? Yes fight for what you believe in but not to the detriment of people as a whole. One day we will again need them and they might not be too keen if this gets out of hand and victimisation becomes the norm. It is one balancing act that will take a saint to solve and the willpower of a few that will not be deflected to sort.

[shillelagh]

So if thats the case ....... my parents wouldnt have been made welcome when they came here from ireland then roundabout 1950 ....

Another story for you ... my niece a few years ago finished school and went to college and became a qualified nanny. She had a job in Manchester which she liked anyway the kids were growing up and was going to school, and she started looking for another - which she got offered - in Canada - they wanted an English Nanny. Thing is when she applied for the visa - the canadian government refused her visa ... because the people she was going to work for had not advertised or interviewed the job locally, state wide or nationally ... so she re-trained as a teacher.

[lancsdave]

Originally Posted by SPUGGIE J

Now if our education system was better and there was more of the good old fashioned apprenticeships then we would not have a skill shortage here that needs filled by "imports."

I haven't had time to read in to everything about this issue but is it not the case that it's the skilled workers who are complaining about the imported workers ?

[steeljack]

Just curious , but is not Total , the company in question a French oil company ?
intersting attachment ..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_S.A.

[Boeing Guy]

Been on a Aeroplane recently, It was probably cleaned by a foreign worker, quite a few of the stores in Manchester Airport are staffed by Eastern Europeans. Your going on a British flight, so you expect a British Crew right? Wrong. The Low cost guys employ anyone who can speak English and fly a plane. Even the support staff are foreign.

I find it hard to support these refinery strikes, companies could not care where you came from, as long as you will do the job.

This is why, I am a foreign worker in Morocco, thankfully there are a lack of locals who can fly, the Moroccan Government does not want foreign nationals flying Moroccan Registered Aircraft. Wish that was true in the UK.

[Benipete]

Originally Posted by steeljack

Just curious , but is not Total , the company in question a French oil company ?
intersting attachment ..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_S.A.

You are quite right Total is a French company.
The contract for the work was won by an American company who then sub-contracted it out to an Italian company.

Sounds strange being that America is short of work.