A UKIP Member of the European Parliament has condemned the ongoing practice of British jobs on recruiting websites being aimed solely at Polish speakers. Highlighting polish language adverts for British jobs in the hospitality and care industries, she blamed the European Union’s open borders policy which she said “openly discriminates against British workers”.
The jobs are being advertised on indeed.com, an employment portal which claims to be the world’s No. 1 job site, boasting 180 million unique users from 50 countries per month.
One advert links through to a Polish recruitment site advertising for two hotel staff for cleaning and waiting duties in Taunton, Somerset. Paying £7.50 an hour, the advert requests English speaking applicants with “good manners” and “no addictions” who are willing to relocate to England for at least six months. The agency promises to organise all aspects of travel and accommodation entirely free of charge to the successful candidates.
Another agency linked to the site seeks a university qualified, registered nurse for work in a nursing home in Willington, Somerset, to be paid £14 an hour. Again, the agency offers to organise travel and accommodation, promising “assistance in finding stable work in the UK and signing a contract directly with the employer”.
UKIP Employment Spokeswoman Jane Collins MEP said: “There are people in the UK desperate for work yet we are exporting our jobs to other EU countries.”
She was alerted to the existence of the jobs by concerned constituents who were angered to see British jobs being advertised specifically to people living outside of the UK when they are struggling to find work themselves.
The Conservative Minister of State for Employment, Priti Patel, whose Essex constituency lies just 30 miles from central London, earlier this year told a BBC audience “It makes no difference if [workers] are British or from Europe or overseas. It is about them being here for right reason and contributing to our country and our economy.”
Ms Collins disagrees. She said: “There may be plenty of employment opportunities in and around London but in my region of Yorkshire and North East Lincolnshire and other more rural counties people, especially young people, can struggle to find work,” she said.
“Because of EU open borders we have allowed wages to be pushed down to the very minimum, with employers using tax credits to bump up the salaries of their staff at the expense of the tax payer.
“And it allows agencies to openly discriminate against British workers in their own country which no self-respecting government should allow.”