http://www.cumberland-news.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=313107

Flats fire highlights migrant labour boom
Published on 16/12/2005


Moving in: Chris Kupis left Poland and is now living in Carlisle
1 of 2 Prev | Next By Phil Coleman

CUMBRIA is witnessing a boom in its migrant worker population, with foreign
workers flocking to the county from eastern Europe.

The issue was highlighted last week after a fire ripped through Carlisle
flats housing up to 20 Slovakian and South African workers in the early
hours of Saturday.

Employers in the county are now regularly recruiting staff from Poland, the
Czech Republic, Latvia, and Portugal amid growing fears that some are being
exploited.

The growth in the migrant workforce has been accelerated by the enlargement
of the European Union and the opening of borders.

Workers who were previously trapped in the low-wage economies of Eastern
Europe have poured into Cumbria where they can earn ten or fifteen times as
much.

Union officials and staff at Carlisle’s Community Law Centre say there is
growing evidence that some migrant workers are being exploited.

GMB regional organiser Ged Caig said: “I reckon there are between 300 and
400 migrant workers in Carlisle, but there could be more. They’re typically
in their 20s and 30s, taking minimum-wage jobs which locals don’t want.

“It may seem a poor wage to us, but to somebody coming here from Poland or
Ukraine it’s far more than they earn at home. There are good landlords and
employers, but some workers are being exploited.

“These people are extremely vulnerable. Some landlords charge extortionate
amounts for digs. The workers don’t know employment law and some employers
deliberately keep them in the dark.

“I’ve no doubt there are breaches of minimum wage regulations. There are
very few migrants working just 40 hours a week, and some are working 80
hours a week.

“There are also shared house scenarios, with workers sharing rooms – some
working night shifts and the others day shifts.

“I know of a two-bedroom house in Carlisle where eight people were living. A
lot of migrants send money home to their family and live as frugally as
possible.”

Mike Bauer, of the law centre, said an increasing number of foreign workers
were asking for help.

Problems have included a failure to pay the minimum wage – sometimes legally
by using loopholes – and employers who deny their staff the minimum 20-days’
holidayt.

Jackie Atwood, a reputable recruitment agent based in Keswick, who recruits
via the internet, hears from hundreds of would-be migrants every week. Most
are from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and the Czech Republic.

She said: “I expected an influx, but I never expected the number of people
we’re seeing now.

“In the Ukraine a good wage would be £80 a month but the average is probably
half that.

“I found highly trained people – like vets and lawyers – who came over to
work in hotel kitchens earning the minimum wage, plus meals and
accommodation.

In October last year, Carlisle City Council officials discovered 22 Polish
workers living in a house in Currock.

Government figures revealed that more than 2,000 migrant workers came to
Cumbria in 2003-2004, helping solve the worker shortage at factories such as
Cavaghan & Gray in Carlisle and Cumbrian Seafoods in Maryport.

Carlisle MP Eric Martlew yesterday welcomed the contribution of the workers,
but warned employers to not turn their back on local workers. “That could
breed resentment,” said the MP.

Polish Pirelli worker Christopher Kudis, 33, living in a shared house in
Chiswick Street, Carlisle, said: “It’s a better life here. In Poland, I
could earn no more than £150. Here I earn £1,200 a month.”

His neighbour Steve Mulvey, 52, said: “They’re smashing people – very
polite, and never bothering anyone.”

Alistair Johnston, owner of the house burned down in Chatsworth Square,
Carlisle, said his property was being managed by recruitment firm LP and
Associates. He found alternative accommodation for the 13 workers left
homeless.