It's really nice that all the political parties SAY that they're supporting British workers. It makes you want to hug.....what is essentially a political opportunist.
The reality of this situation is that Thatcher started dismantling the legal structure which gave unions the right to represent the worker, at work AND in parliament. Since neo-tory Labour has continued this trend, the workers have no voice ANYWHERE.
The Euro-workers are not the problem. The problem is that employers can pay whatever SH*T salary they think they can get away with. So, Greeks and Portuguese and some Italians can live on less pay, so bring them in to break the back of the British worker, if you have no morals and no unions to tell you the time of day. So, they are trying to get the British worker to accept less pay, when they have a higher cost of living.
LOOK AT THE OLYMPIC SITE. IT'S ONLY NOW COME OUT THAT IT'S GOT MORE FOREIGN WORKERS THAN BRITS, because they'll accept lower pay. This is Britain's flagship worksite, 2 miles from the City, and its labour mix looks pretty familiar.
Let's forget for now how the government turns a blind-eye to the tens of thousands of ILLEGAL workers hidden in illegal factories and distant farms. That's how Brown has kept wages down;
ILLEGALLY.
The Mafia would be proud.
While the cost of living went up, workers became poorer; and, their bosses richer. The fact that bosses are screwing British workers now is taken for granted, at least by this observer. It's obvious.
I suppose the recession is going to get more workers off the political fence and perhaps then they'll start fighting for their rights. They've only now started timidly complaining about the Olympic site.
Get the unions back. Use them to enforce EU labour laws, especially the ones that are union-friendly; the ones Britain's LABOUR party opts out of all the time.
[Update: G Monbiot at the Guardian says that the major unions are all sell-outs. Who am I to doubt that?]
Here's what to do:
Set minimum pay for certain jobs and then the bosses have no reason to bring in foreigners.
Find the illegal factories and farms, and force the government (to apply the law and) to close them and jail the owners.
There!
It's that easy.
Go on!
Do it! I can't do everything for you.
BTW I'm a member of the UCU and it's doing good work. Look it up.
