I am standing in Dublin South West to highlight slave wages in Ireland through exploitation of Non-EU Economic Migrants
We joined the EU and welcomed the Nordic states and newer Members over the years, but now our own government is facilitating the use of non-EU slave labour. This is what the youth of Ireland have to compete with, along with zero hours employment contracts. I say all persons working in Ireland should receive a new minimal Living wage of €11.50/hr - including non-EU migrant workers on J1 visa.
Young Irish can't compete
The simple fact is, young Irish citizens are not being offered any of the readily available jobs across Dublin and Ireland. There are over 300,000 J1 non-EU English language students, who are studying English in Ireland, but most have really just come to Ireland to work. It is evident, that the majority of employees of petrol stations, hotels, fast food takeaways and fast food deliveries, anything really are all non EU, foreign nationals and not Irish. These employees are working for slave wages, averaging around €5/hr. The hospitals and government buildings security jobs are again being offered to these J1 Students at very low wages and Irish citizens are not even being offered them or allowed to compete fairly. Can anyone show where these jobs are advertised, many believe it is all word of mouth through Non EU J1 Student networks. How can the young Irish workforce compete with this? Aldi offers €11.50/hr as a living wage which should be mandatory the for Non EU J1 student. Then and only then could Irish people compete for Jobs on a level playing field and would not have to emigrate and run the risks that all that involves.
J1 Students
We've been conned by our own government. If an Irish student wishes to embark on a J1 visa to the US, only Irish university students are allowed into the US on the visa and can only work for up to 4 months in the summer school holidays. What about the rest of the youth of Ireland? On the other hand, non-EU J1 students coming to Ireland can renew a visa every year, some doing so for up to 15 years now. Our own government is being unjust to Irish people, with this back door approach driving down wages and using these non-EU Students against our own young workforce. One example: A J1 non-EU student is only legally allowed to work part time 20 hours a week otherwise they lose their visa. This is a joke, as all are working full time. All non-EU delivery drivers for restaurants, takeaway, pizza companies are driving and delivering on learner, or N plates, with no commercial insurance. But in an accident claim, who is left to pay? US!
Non-EU migrants
In the last two years approximately 20,000 Indian, 20,000 Pakistani, and 15,000 Bangladeshis, have migrated to Ireland. All of this without seeking permission from the relevant Irish government bodies here or the EU, nor the proper immigration procedures. The Department of Justice states that these people are confused and that they cannot apply for asylum in two countries. They are not confused, they just moved here, very purposefully.
Former Colonies of Portugal and Italy
When Portugal were pulling out of the Colonies of Angola, Mozambique and India etc. in the late 1950s, early 1960s, they made a provision that anybody born in these colonies while under their rule could seek a Italian or Portuguese Passport. However both Italy and Portugal have since joined the EU and these people have gained EU passports and moved here in a mass settlement. Who asked the Irish People if they are welcoming of this strain on public services, health and housing? Surely they need to go to Italy and Portugal as those are the countries that offered them passports as their former Colonial Masters. 95,000 extra people in Ireland and we can't even take care of our own at the moment. There are present health needs and pensions in the future to be met and paid for. For more on this, please visit my Housing & Healthcare page.
Back to Work
If the minimum wage was €11.50 – that’s €460 per week – your son or daughter, or even I, could do service station-type work. I farm and taxi at weekends, evenings and in between work whenever I can.
Irish people are not afraid to work, but they can’t be expected to work for slave wages of €5, €6, €7, €8, €9 per hour 365 days a year. That is a bleary weary life and, after all, it’s only €11.50! The price of a Big Mac does not have to go up, just cut profits a little.
When student visas need to be renewed every year it offers a chance to reduce the numbers of non-EU students. Irish workers could be offered the same type of work as these economic migrants and fill many of these positions – creating full employment at a minimum of €11.50 per hour. At least €460 per week for anybody living and working in Ireland, including economic migrants.
Result
- No evictions. No paying up to €150 a day for B&Bs or hotels by taxpayers.
- No increase in rent supplement needed as Irish people would replace these workers in the post-slave wage J1 period.
- The health system would free up over two years as the Irish grasp €11.50 per hour employment opportunities and are able to stay home, instead of heading abroad for work.
- A possible 300,000 Irish wage back at work, lower rental costs, house prices would level off, plus 300,000 fewer economic migrants straining housing, healthcare system and infrastructure.
Irish Minimum Wage
The Irish minimum wage was increased in January 2016 from €8.65 to €9.15 per hour equating to a gross €343 of income per week. After government taxes, PRSI and USC an employee actually receives a net €332 a week, which is difficult to survive on in Ireland and more so in Dublin city.
Of note amongst Irish retailers is Aldi who pay their minimum wage staff an enhanced €11.50 per hour, equating to a net €381 per week. However Tesco Ireland have recently stated their intent to cut the wages of long term minimum wage employees in order to boost profitability.