Labour Youth strongly opposes the reintroduction of work permits

national | worker & community struggles and protests | press release

Monday March 13, 2006 10:03

by Graham Ó Maonaigh - Labour Youth

17 Ely Place, Dublin 2, Ireland

+353-868381556

Labour Youth have a strongly progressive view on the rights of migrant workers in Ireland and believe that recent statements that provoke irrational fears are not in the long term interests of creating a multicultural Ireland based on solidarity between Irish citizens and the New Irish Communities working in Ireland today.

LABOR YOUTH

STATEMENT BY LABOUR YOUTH
Monday 13th March 2006

Labour Youth Chairperson, Graham O'Maonaigh, commented, "We wish to highlight Labour Youth's opposition to the call for the reintroduction of Work Permits for any EU worker. We would also like to make clear that we would expect the same rights and privileges to access the Irish Labour market to be extended to Bulgaria and Romania who are due to join the EU next year.

There is no situation under which it is acceptable to have one worker on higher rights and standards than another in the same job just because of their nationality. It is this two-tier system that in many ways resulted in the Irish Ferries dispute from arising and we wish to see a system of equal treatment of all workers in Ireland regardless of which country they are from.

The reintroduction of Work Permits for any EU national in Ireland would not be in the interests of anyone in Ireland; Irish or Migrant worker alike. Labour Youth as a section of the Labour Party will work with all levels of the party to ensure that the current Work Permit system is reformed to empower migrant workers in Ireland and also to eliminate the two-tier system of Labour standards in the Irish Labour market by giving all workers the same standards of employment and rights to union representation.

Currently there are more Dog Wardens than there is Labour Inspectors in Ireland. There must be an immediate increase in the number of Labour Inspectors to such a level that makes their job possible to enforce labour standards.

Labour Youth calls for these inequalities to be addressed through:

The current Worker Permit system should be reformed to allow Non-EU/EEA workers hold their Work Permit and not the current system where it is vested in the hands of their employers.
Under no circumstances should there be a Work Permit system in Ireland for workers from other EU countries or future EU countries such as Bulgaria or Romania.
More Labour Inspectors need to be introduced immediately and given the resources necessary to enforce labour standards in all areas of the Irish labour market.
I would also like to reiterate Labour Youth's firm and total opposition to any reintroduction of Work Permits for Migrant workers from the new accession states in the EU. Such a move would be a regressive action and only serve to build barriers of fear between Irish workers and Migrant workers in Ireland."

ENDS

For Further information please contact Graham O Maonaigh 086 8381556

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Comments (9 of 9)

Excellent statement

by Rosa

Mon Mar 13, 2006 19:23

This is an excellent statement and its good to see that on this, and a growing number of issues, Labour Yotuh is diverging from the increasingly right-wing tendency of the Rabbitte/McManus leadership. I can understand the tactical reasons for not naming Rabbitte in the statement, rather than alluding to his obnoxious statement but maybe LY people can say why the LY statement is not up on their own website.

If its just logistics fine, but if a decision has been made just to issue it on indymedia, that smacks of opportunism and posing as radicals in one forum while avoiding offence to Rabbitte etc. within the party. BTW I have a lot of time for LY activists and I hope many of them will play a positive role in building a new broad party of the left once Rabbitte and co. has completely exposed the futility of working within the Labour Party.

by Gieger

Mon Mar 13, 2006 20:11

Under no circumstances should there be a Work Permit system in Ireland for workers from other EU countries or future EU countries such as Bulgaria or Romania.

Did yaz borrow this line from IBEC?

Yes

by Tool

Mon Mar 13, 2006 21:01

well of course, IBEC is currently the far lefts biggest source of funding.

Release:Response

Tue Mar 14, 2006 03:17

Thanks for the positivity.
Its not on the site YET...
This release went out to the media in its entirity. Radio Na Gaeltheachta and 2fm have picked up on it so far...

Thanks

Tue Mar 14, 2006 09:58

Thanks for that Gearoid, that answers my question. Welll done and congratulations for taking on the leadership on this issue in a public manner. Personallly I think it is a huge waste of your commitment and talent trying to work within Labour but thats another days debate.

IBEC

by Responding

Tue Mar 14, 2006 11:29

IBEC favour the work permit system as it allows exploitation. Frankly those that claim that opposing the work permit system is the same position as IBEC's are either deliberately lying or are absolute idiots. Of course there are those who fall into both these categories. It is usually the far right who try to claim that the lefts position and IBEC's, on immigration, are the same. It is untrue as is to be expected of their deranged nonsense.

Powerful stuff, LY!

by D_D

Tue Mar 14, 2006 16:16

Entirely

Labour Youth

by Pat Rabbitte - Labour Party

Tue Mar 14, 2006 17:38

Fair play to Labour Youth for opposing my policy stance yet again and exposing me for the right wing crazed fanatic I really am. Good man graham, keep up the good work. An remember Enda Kenny for Taoiseach, for a better Ireland!

Realism or Fantasy

by Dinjo

Sun Mar 26, 2006 21:37

Let’s face one very simple fact folks that no matter how unethical we may find it, it is the balance in “Supply and Demand” for labour which alone will impact equally upon Irish and immigrant workers alike. Dismissing or simply deflecting this obvious fact behind anybody’s so-called “Race Card” will most certainly not alter its eventual outcome, and may even serve to accelerate its uptake.

At times of labour shortage, employers have little option but to compete against each other to attract and maintain their workforces. In a tight labour environment, salaries and conditions on offer will steadily improve to the benefit of Employees.
Conversely, at times when there is a plentiful or indeed over-supply of labour, surely the shoe is on the other foot, and it is the Employees who are likely to find themselves in competition with each other for jobs, and, so too will conditions on offer to them at best stand still, but most likely deteriorate.

Given the fact also that many of our immigrants seem to express very little longer term ambitions to live out the rest of their lives in this damp climate of ours, it would seem very unlikely that any Irish Workers Unions, could under the circumstances generate the means to militate against the so-called “Race to the Bottom” a situation whereby the basic National Minimum Wage becomes the norm or a de facto benchmark for all.

It is already clear that many Irish workers, especially in the building trades, are experiencing some negative effects. Quite a few have expressed an opinion that Employers seem more and more to be showing a preference for foreign labour, readily available at lower cost to themselves. It is inescapable too; that while an abundance of labour may be an essential ingredient to growing an economy, but it is equally an environment which serves to diminish expectations of employees and create downward pressures on earnings.

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Labour Youth strongly opposes the reintroduction of work permits

Comments (9 of 9)