LPGC wrote:
Sure the Poles come over in droves to work hard and most of us think Brits sitting on their backsides all day are lazy. On the other hand, if their was a country just a drive away where those lazy Brits would be welcomed and paid several times what they'd expect to earn in this country I expect we'd see a lot less lazy Brits, because they'd suddenly become less lazy and start working abroad. If you agree Brits are lazy then you agree it is possible to judge people based on where they come from. If it is true you can judge people based on where they come from then I'd rather Britain stay full of Brits, after all Britain hasn't been noted for it's lazy population throughout history, and this may go a long way towards explaining why we're a richer country than Poland still today. Or maybe there isn't a Polish equivalent of Jeremy Kyle!
The problem is down to our benefits system. When someone can sit at home doing nothing all day long and still take what would be considered a decent living wage, there are some, and I agree they are a very tiny minority, that will do it. I'm not saying we are a lazy nation, just that there are some that are taking advantage of the system. When they can receive the same for doing nothing as they could by going out and doing 'immigrant work', why shouldn't they? In all honesty, even if there was a country where they could earn more, would they or would they just carry on doing what they (don't) do now?
The minimum wage in the UK is second only to Luxembourg and roughly the same as in France, Belgium, Holland, Ireland and Germany. In comparison, it is around 5 times that in Poland, Lithunia, Latvia, (where the bulk of the immigrants in this area are from) and even more than that in Romania and Bulgaria (see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_s ... nimum_wage). The problem in these countries is that prices have risen to bring them more into line with the more affluent EU countries but wages haven't. So someone working an unskilled, minimum wage job in Poland can barely afford to live but they can come here where there is a desperate shortage of workers willing to do unskilled, boring, monotonous work in all weathers and conditions. By working long hours they can earn a very respectable wage (and, as they are supplied with work through a staff agency, the 48 hour maximum working week rules can be ignored). In this area, as well as the numerous fruit and veg processing and packing plants, which supply every supermarket, there are a number of enormous factories producing the pre-packed, ready to eat, salads and sandwiches you'll see on the snack shelves in your local supermarket and filling stations. As they are producing fresh food, the workers are working in what is effectively a huge fridge. I wouldn't do it (and my partner only stuck it for 2 days!) but they are crying out for labour and there is, just about, enough to supply them with the staff they need. Again though, none of them are English.