A very interesting point was raised on the Mathew Wright Show today

[Bobbisox]

Are foreign workers really taking our jobs?
or as a Nation, are we too lazy?
Who really is to blame?
The company's for exploiting foreign workers by paying them a lot less?
This is always an emotive topic so let me state here and now, I am not being a Racist bigot

[jackthehat]

It was a picture saying 'Pied Piper of Hamelin', triggs.

Perhaps *this* will be allowed to stay ?

[Bobbisox]

and this has what to do with the OP?

[jackthehat]

I answered triggs question, bobbi.

The one that has been removed, for some reason.

[Bobbisox]

best take that up with the ED jth?
now if there is nothing else to add to this debate???

[jackthehat]

I only answered the question, bobbi.

[Bobbisox]

ok, no worries
I think this particular thread has been derailed now anyway

[Cowtipper]

We have very similar circumstances here and have had for years. Its always supply and demand. Demand for workers go up, wages go up and people have a choice. Demand goes down and people will underbid each other. Foreigners exacerbate that ratio when demand goes down.

The people in the country illegally work for cash and get hospital care, schools, welfare, etc. They have anchor babies and avoid the legal system. Foreigners that buy a business here have several years of tax free enterprise and then sell it to their brother and "poof" another foreign family. I don't mind somebody coming here to try to make a better life because if the jobs were south of the border and we had their situation they'd be calling me wet-back.

Nobody is to blame really. I can't blame companies for exploiting what they can for profit and I don't blame American's for not wanting to go cut tobacco or any of dozens of other jobs that wear your body out for very little money.

[boxtops]

The NHS is recruiting nurses locally from Romania, and Portugal - they can't find them locally to fill the posts they need.

[seadogg]

boxtops, a romanian dug my garden, did more than I asked, and wanted £20. NHS rates must seem like riches to Romanian nurses!

[New Judge]

Indeed they do, seadogg. And it demonstrates the folly of a unified Europe.

An Eastern European can earn more in a week in the UK than he can in two months at home. Little wonder they work for less than the minimum wage. If they pay any tax at all it is miniscule. Much of their pay is sent "home" and, of course, he qualifies for the full range of benefits including Child Benefit for any children he may have told the authorities he supports in his country of origin.

The blame for all this lies with politicians who, for reasons best known to them, have allowed such a situation to evolve.

[Bobbisox]

that in itself is wrong NJ, being able to claim a benefit for children living in another land who will never live here, I agree the fault lies heavily with successive Governments

[joko]

its all relative.

i think we have a "lifestyle to which we have become accustomed"..in general but also because pehaps because of the celeb culture and neighbours etc...so we feel doing crap jobs for buttons is beneath us...we see stories of people on benefits living a life of luxury (rare i know but it does happen)

people from pther countries dont see that, they are simply grateful, and view our buttons as a decent living...

thye have less expectations than us

[Bobbisox]

and no benefit system to encourage them not to take a job, while I am all for benefits going to the people who need them, the lazy so and sos who wont take a job because it's beneath them, should have theirs stopped

[mike11111]

This will attract some flak, but what the hell! When I was young married women went out to work for one of two reasons; either they had been widowed or divorced/separated, or they were greedy. Until WWII in many employments, banking, teaching, the Civil Service to name but a few, women were required to resign on marriage. The war changed all that as female labour was required on the domestic front. Even in the 50s the vast majority of families I knew were single breadwinners. For every household bringing in a double wage there is an unemployed man.

[Bobbisox]

Mike, I admire you stating what you have, I may or may not agree with it but admire your tenacity to this debate

[mike11111]

It is six minutes now since I lit the blue touchpaper. I am well retired to a place of safety. I shall,of course refrain from any further comment on this thread, "Quod dixi, dixi".

[SODIT]

if you have 6 kids and get your rent paid, community charge paid and other perks you are not going to want a minimum wage job.

The best way to stop a lot of this is cut housing benefit down.

[joeluke]

Foreign workers are willing to do the low paid manual jobs which a significant number of bone idle Brits won't take

IMO our benefits system is to blame, if people couldn't claim so much for sitting on their @r$e$ all day then they'd have to take such jobs

I work in a large warehouse where there are a fair number of Eastern Europeans. I find them to be ignorant and have no manners but they are certainly grafters