Umunna wrong on highly-skilled EU workers, says Staffline CEO
17 January 2014
The chief executive officer of Staffline Group tells Recruiter that the shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna has got it wrong for raising concerns about highly-skilled people from the EU coming to the UK for low-skilled jobs.
Fri, 17 Jan 2014The chief executive officer of Staffline Group tells Recruiter that the shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna has got it wrong for raising concerns about highly-skilled people from the EU coming to the UK for low-skilled jobs.
Speaking on BBC’s Question Time last week, Umunna said “the problem at the moment is that we have high-skilled people from other [EU] countries coming here for low-skilled jobs." Umunna added that Labour’s previous policy on the issue while in office had been “a mistake”.
Umunna said it had never been the intention of the founders of the EU for this to happen and he drew a distinction between free movement of workers for people “who already had a job [before they arrived in the UK] and the skills to get a job, and jobseekers. “The founders of the EU had in mind freedom of movement of workers, not free movement of jobseekers,” he said.
In response to Umunna’s comments, Andy Hogarth, CEO of Staffline Group, many of whose temporary workers are from Eastern European EU countries such as Poland, tells Recruiter: “The whole precept of the EU is that people can work to their qualifications and skill set anywhere within the borders of the EU, and that is an absolute principle.”
He continues: “It would be wrong for the Treaty [of Rome, in which free movement of workers is enshrined] and for the UK economy, because a lot of the growth in the UK is being driven by the skill sets that these people have.
“A lot of our workers have first and second degrees, and they are learning the language and the culture. They will work their way up in society and it has made the UK economy far more dynamic than economies in mainland Europe.”
Hogarth adds that he recently hired a Bulgarian GP for a potwasher position in a hotel he owns. He says the worker is using the job as a stepping stone by using it as an opportunity to improve his English and learn about the UK’s culture, with a view to resuming his medical career here in the UK.
Tom Hadley, Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) director of policy and professional services, tells Recruiter that he is “bemused” by Umunna’s distinction between jobseekers and people that already have a job offer.
And he adds freedom of movement for workers within the EU is essential for UK employers and the wider UK economy.
“There are many jobs where you have opportunities tomorrow for somebody to come to work,” says Hadley. “If people were only able to move if they had a firm job offer, that would damage a dynamic part of our labour market.”
Recruiter contacted Umunna’s office but had not received a response as we went to press.
Speaking on BBC’s Question Time last week, Umunna said “the problem at the moment is that we have high-skilled people from other [EU] countries coming here for low-skilled jobs." Umunna added that Labour’s previous policy on the issue while in office had been “a mistake”.
Umunna said it had never been the intention of the founders of the EU for this to happen and he drew a distinction between free movement of workers for people “who already had a job [before they arrived in the UK] and the skills to get a job, and jobseekers. “The founders of the EU had in mind freedom of movement of workers, not free movement of jobseekers,” he said.
In response to Umunna’s comments, Andy Hogarth, CEO of Staffline Group, many of whose temporary workers are from Eastern European EU countries such as Poland, tells Recruiter: “The whole precept of the EU is that people can work to their qualifications and skill set anywhere within the borders of the EU, and that is an absolute principle.”
He continues: “It would be wrong for the Treaty [of Rome, in which free movement of workers is enshrined] and for the UK economy, because a lot of the growth in the UK is being driven by the skill sets that these people have.
“A lot of our workers have first and second degrees, and they are learning the language and the culture. They will work their way up in society and it has made the UK economy far more dynamic than economies in mainland Europe.”
Hogarth adds that he recently hired a Bulgarian GP for a potwasher position in a hotel he owns. He says the worker is using the job as a stepping stone by using it as an opportunity to improve his English and learn about the UK’s culture, with a view to resuming his medical career here in the UK.
Tom Hadley, Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) director of policy and professional services, tells Recruiter that he is “bemused” by Umunna’s distinction between jobseekers and people that already have a job offer.
And he adds freedom of movement for workers within the EU is essential for UK employers and the wider UK economy.
“There are many jobs where you have opportunities tomorrow for somebody to come to work,” says Hadley. “If people were only able to move if they had a firm job offer, that would damage a dynamic part of our labour market.”
Recruiter contacted Umunna’s office but had not received a response as we went to press.
