EYP Talk - Your voice on Europe's future. This is the online forum of the European Youth Parliament in the UK.

Free movement of workers

Does the free movement of workers across borders assure peace and prosperity?

The panellist in this discussion is:

Roland Rudd
Chairman, Business for New Europe

Roland Rudd is the Chairman of Business for New Europe, which launched in March 2006 to support the UK’s active engagement in Europe. BNE is an independent coalition of business leaders articulating a positive case for European reform. He is also the Senior Partner of Finsbury Ltd.

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biased views on immigration

Posted by alice28 on 03/02/2007 - 22:22

This is a reply for wildvt - It is very easy to blame.

There are many mis-understandings on the real effects of immigration in the UK. A common criticism on immigrants is the idea that they parasite on the labour force in the country they go to by claiming
benefits, namely unemployment benefit.
Those who hold such a view is almost certain to be unaware of how welfare system works in the UK. To claim for unemployment benefit, you need to have contributed 6 month worth of national insurance in the past two years. Once you are receiving unemployment benefit, you need to have evidence that you are constantly actively seeking work, if not , your benefit payment will be stopped.

Another point to be raised is that I feel immigrants help to make the labour force more competitive and efficient. As more labourers enter the UK, it increases the pool of labour supply, meaning employers have more candidates to choose from for a post. It is certain employers will choose the person who are hard working. This will increase efficiency and thus total output of British workers who are at the moment 20% less efficient than French workers - a country with a mass immigration population where the supply for labour is much greater than the demand for labour.

The government's proposal in raising compulsory education to 18 is one way of making Britons more competitive internationlly; to increase efficiency, I see immigration as the way, despite the growing popularity of the BNP and bourgeois complaints.

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