In 1922 my wife's grandparents came to Greece as refugees. Fleeing the Turkish massacre of the Greek minority they arrived with nothing. Just like asylum seekers today they faced prejudice and poverty but raised five happy and successful kids. Two generations on my wife came to England. She qualified as a lawyer and works with social services to protect children from neglect and abuse.
For me this family history is inspiring stuff, but it's hardly unique. The evidence shows immigrants work hard and have changed our society for the better:
- Immigrants pay 34% more in taxes than they receive from the state. Without immigration the UK debt crisis would be even worse.
- The assumption that every foreign worker takes the job of a British worker is a myth. Employment is not a zero sum game. As foreign workers spend their wages they create demand and jobs elsewhere in the economy.
- The NHS would not survive without the thousands of foreign doctors and nurses. As for "health tourism" the statistics just do not back up government claims. Twice as many foreign patients pay for treatment as the 5000 to 20,000 who receive free health care. We are also a net exporter of patients with 63,000 Brits travelling abroad for treatment.
Whenever, the Daily Mail prints anti-immigrant propaganda (as they did in relation to Jews fleeing Nazi Germany in the 1930s) these stats must be shouted from the roof tops.
But having said all that, it would be wrong to pretend that no one has lost out with the free movement of people. Take a look at the impact on wages, for example. Research by the Migration Advisory Committee shows that average wages have not fallen as a result of immigration. But the average is only part of the story. The same research shows that immigration has caused a reduction in wages for those at the bottom, and an increase for those at the top. Of course, that too is a generalisation as the picture varies sector by sector. The "Settle For Nothing Less" report (December 2nd 2013) found that migration was a significant factor behind a failure to pay the minimum wage in agriculture, construction and domestic work.
So what would Labour do? In recent months there have been several announcements, including:
- Require firms of over 50 staff to offer one apprenticeship for every foreign worker they recruit. Now it's true that these apprenticeships would, by law, have to be available to EU citizens as well as British ones. That said, in the year up to June 2013, 92% of apprenticeships were filled by Brits. In practice, this is about getting big business to take responsibility for solving our country's skills shortages.
- Make it illegal for firms to target and recruit only foreign workers
- Make it illegal for employers to run shifts only for foreign workers or segregate shifts by nationality
- Ban unsuitable accommodation being used as tied housing to offset the minimum wage.
- Take action to enforce the minimum wage. Despite estimates of 300 000 workers receiving less than the legal limit there have been just two prosecutions in the last 4 years. Fines for non-compliance need to be increased and firms breaking the law should be named and shamed.
For some on the right these plans won't go nearly far enough. They will only be happy once we leave the EU and pull up the drawbridge. In contrast, Labour must have the courage to make the case for the free movement of people, for the prosperity and opportunities it brings. These policies are practical ways to make sure those benefits can be shared by everyone.
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