Microsoft to cut 5,000 jogs - interesting

[Sickbag]

That's pretty large, indeed.

Is it?

[David Hilditch]

I've heard companies there have also done an excellent job in importing a lot of Indians.

Your operating procedure, as always, is to extrapolate from anecdotal information. Your statement is not correct, though what does "a lot" mean anyway ? Always subjective..... Also, reference your later question about whether Indian immigration is increasing again, this is also not correct. Most immigration into the UK in the past 10 years has been from Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Africa, the Caribbean, China and parts of the Middle East. There is always a trickle of Indians and other subcontinent nations but the majority of these arrivals took place over 30 years ago. Indians today tend to prefer the US, Canada and Australia (and even France).

It's certainly true that immigration has risen up the scale of political concerns in recent years in the UK, and the current recession will make this worse - as indeed we are seeing with events in recent days.

[flyboy2548m]

Your operating procedure, as always, is to extrapolate from anecdotal information.

Unlike yours, which is to simply talk out your ass in long, protracted sentences.

[tds]

It's certainly true that immigration has risen up the scale of political concerns in recent years in the UK, and the current recession will make this worse - as indeed we are seeing with events in recent days.

Bit of a tangent, but I'm not sure that what is going on in the UK is actually immigration related except in that it reflects general attitudes toward Johnny Foreigner. As far as I can make out - it's difficult to find a news source which explains precisely what's going on - the 'foreign workers' at issue are contractors / employees of European companies who have won contracts in the UK. I don't know that those particular workers are either existing immigrants or are looking to resettle (though I could well be wrong).

[David Hilditch]

Bit of a tangent, but I'm not sure that what is going on in the UK is actually immigration related except in that it reflects general attitudes toward Johnny Foreigner. As far as I can make out - it's difficult to find a news source which explains precisely what's going on - the 'foreign workers' at issue are contractors / employees of European companies who have won contracts in the UK. I don't know that those particular workers are either existing immigrants or are looking to resettle (though I could well be wrong).

Either way, it's a known fact that recessions harden anti-immigrant and anti-foreigner attitudes. There seems a perception, rightly or wrongly, that in this tougher economic climate immigrants/foreigners are 'stealing' jobs. Maybe they are. Aren't the protests against foreign workers who are in fact entitled to do what they are doing under EU free labor market rules ? Whether they are actual or intending permanent immigrants or temporary workers is beside the point as far as the protesters are concerned. To some extent, Brown has himself to blame for fomenting the trouble since his comment about "British jobs for British workers" - which is an aim legally impossible to fulfill under those EU free market rules.

[Sickbag]

The current issue at the Total refinery in Lindsey is due to the sub contrator IREM refusing to employ UK workers and has shipped in, literally, temporary workers from Italy to live on a floating accommidation whilst they do the work.The suspicion is that IREM, in order to bring in ununionised workers from the other side of Europe and house them on a floating barge must be undercutting the local wage rates in order to turn a profit. The dispute is not necessarly against foreign workers per say as the media and so-called Labour Government would like to portray. Foriegn workers who live in the UK and contribute to the local economy is one thing, shipping in workers, segregated from the local economy is another- a unlevel and untransparent playing field.
The far right have latched onto this dispute aided by Brown's slogan of 'British jobs for British workers' something last heard by Mosleys British Union facists of the 1930's.The BNP were chased off from the picket line in Lindsey when they came sniffing around.

[Sickbag]

PS
The rights of workers in the EU to dispute these disparities in pay between local and migrants and the need for public bodies to insist on parity betwwen foreign workers and local rates has been removed by recent European Court Justice rulings. The court cases, in effect state that the fundimental rights of local workers are regulated below those of employers.

http://www.thompsons.law.co.uk/ntext/ec ... -laval.htm

[AndyToop]

[

OK - massive is a word laden with personl inturpretations.
4% - not massive in comparison to the other 96%
4% - massive compared to the 7.9% total ethnic population.

In terms of number of people - upwards of 2 million. For me thats a "massive number of people".

[AndyToop]

There is certainly a massive population in the UK of Indian/Bangladeshi and Pakistani origin, but most of them are now second and third generation who have been born and brought up in the UK. Most of the original Imigrants came towards the end of British colonial rule. .

Andy,

I understand most of them are second generation. Do you think the level of immigration from India to the UK has slowed down significantly in the past few years or is it increasing again?

No Idea of wether the number is going up or down, but in terms of total immigration into the UK, Indian immigration is dwarfed by Polish immigration. Something in the region of 4 times as many Poles as Indians. The immigration levels into the UK are also about the same for Australians as they are for Pakistanis.

Like David alluded to, Immigration from the sub continent only accounts for about 10% of immigration into the UK.