Romanian labor needed in UK, Unions say

The Trades Union Congress – TUC expressed the full support for the Romanian labor force hence contradicting the political message against the Eastern European working force, conveyed by a group of the press and politicians.

„Cheap politics!” This is how the campaign against the Easterners was labeled by the general secretary of the TUC Brendan Barber. TUC comprises 66 unions and approx. seven million workers from all economic sectors in UK.

Barber’s statement is most surprising, given the fact that the British worker should feel threatened by the qualified and cheaper labor force coming form the Eastern Europe.

However, Barber reckons that the UK labor market faces a more stringent problem than the foreign workers – the legislation that allows their exploitation at low tariffs.

The solution to this problem is the amendment of the laws, not the restrictions to the foreign working force, according to Barber. The immigrants actually bring their contribution to the social insurances system provided they are well paid.

Moreover, a recent study showed that the British employer is the most vulnerable among the EU older members (EU 15). This vulnerability builds on the fact that UK hosts a great number of multinationals that act rapidly in terms of relocating their businesses on cheaper labor force markets.

This is an important factor that undermines the job safety, which maintains a low investment in the qualification of the labor force.

By the immigration of the Eastern Europeans in the UK, the vulnerability is reduced to a certain degree, fact admitted by the UK unions.