The issue of foreign workers is extremely close to my heart. I can only write from experience but for anyone interested, here are some of mine.
One of my sons owns a house and he lets the rooms in the house, very often he will have rooms occupied by fit and able British persons on benefits who can't get a job, whilst in the other rooms he has Sri Lankans, Phillipines, Polish, Lithuanians, Turkish, and now even Russians to name some of the many. Some of the British are unemployed building workers (although they still keep in practise if the state of their tools and clothes are witnessed). Other unemployed fit and able British tenants (with a little spoken English) are not able to find employment whilst Sri Lankans etc. with no English can find work with little difficulty. Now I fully understand that the Europeans have free movement and many work in the building industry whilst British builders lose their jobs to claim benefits and work on the black market but the real nonsense is the Colleges that advertise courses as full time to attract foreign students who use this as a ruse to come over to work full time. Several girls have come over on a full time course offered at a local college that in fact only requires one/two days of actual attendance per week. Not only do these college courses allow them to work full time (or part time at several jobs) but they also bring over their husbands and children on the basis of having a student visa.
When my local Con MP canvassed me prior to the election I mentioned this abuse of the system that the previous lot presided over and all he said was a few platitudes (probably wrongly thinking that I was a far right supporter) about kicking them all out and then scuttled down my front drive.
I better stop before I really get started as I am mindful that I have wandered off the original topic of regional pay.
For any of you reading this that sense that I have any personal problems with the tenants at my son's house nothing could be further from the truth I have found them trustworthy, honest and likeable people and my son has built up many friendships with them and spent time staying with relatives of his tenants in Sri Lanka and Turkey and I personally have socialised with many of the Sri Lankans due to an interest in the subjects they are studying at college ie agriculture. I wish them all the very best. However, it cannot be right in a country of high unemployment for this situation to go unchecked. To my simple mind it's a bit like increasing the retirement age - if there are only so many jobs available and if they are occupied by people past retirement age or people from another country how can our youth be expected to see any future or contribute to our society?
Last edited by Barney; 28/03/12 11:52 AM.
