General Chat

So much for (recent) immigrants taking British jobs! My son has a small engineering business employing a few lads (and me!) and sub-contracting out for the past 13 yrs to a much bigger firm, now up till about a year ago we were doing really well ( he worked all over the world) then the firm he worked for was taken over by a European firm (not Eastern European) and the work load fell. Last week son got told by the top people of the firm which was taken over that they had had orders from the new owners that for all large jobs they were to try and employ Polish/Latvian/Croation employees as they were cheaper !! ........OK Mr. Big shot in the Government who said they would be a help to our work force think you had better look again .... son's business could well go bust and our lads unemployed and his is not the only firm to sub-contract out to them, there are about 10 firms involved that I know off.................. Am I fuming? You Bet I Am :-|

Nolls. Have no idea what answer is, but terrible for you all

Same thing happened at end of 19th century. Farmers were plodding along quite well, iron masters were doing ok.

Then Australia and Canada started exporting cheap grain to Britain and steelworks in Pittsburgh undercut Sheffield and Bilston. I know all this because of relatives on censuses in 1881 owning large farms and ironworks. But by 1901 they were factory labourers living in urban terraces.

And how many British banks and building societies have moved work (Call centres, making up garments) to India and China. What was the word R Rose used for modern society - precaricity (lives have no continuity, futures hang on a string).

True John ... I'm afraid I think this is just the tip of the iceburg and the country will see more of this as time goes on. Funny how your the only one to answer! thought it might have provoked some replies ah well!

I think so few chatters are working. Those that are working tend to be in sinecures like Council, NHS or teaching.

So they have little idea of the problems afeecting your family, and many other families who try to pay rates and taxes to keep them in a job.

Doesn't surprise me Nolls but how awful for everyone.

The sad thing is that in many areas our young people are being offered very low wages such as eastern european will accept and they will get more than that in benefits and if they get caught in that trap what hope is there for them?

M & S always had goods manufactured here in UK - do not know when I last had a label from that firm which read UK.

Remember the campaign in late sixites 'buy british' hard put to find that now.

If they mean employ Eastern Europeans living in the UK, that sounds very much like Racial Discrimination!

Although he may not wish to rock the boat as it were, it might be worth writing to your/his MP.
There are so few engineering jobs in the UK now, it would be really sad to the wider community if he was forced to close, let alone for his employees and yourselves

A difficult situation for you all Nolls. I wouldn't want to be a boss of a company these days, the job situation is a minefield. Obviously if there is pressure to keep costs low then ways will be sought to faciltate that but it's hard on the current workforce to be priced out of a job.
I saw a job ad outside out local Aldi yesterday, staff wanted £7.95 an hour That's not the minimum wage but it isn't a lot, is it?

Lizx

Your son needs to

1: Get all his colleagues who are also losing their jobs, to give written statements to the fact that they have been told their jobs are being offered only to foreign workers who will do the job cheaper

2: Get together all paperwork regarding his loss of job.

3: Get to the citizens advice bureau

What his employer is doing/has said if it can be proved is illegal. And as such he can be prosecuted. But it must be done properly, no just on hearsay.

Oh but look how much this is helping the economy (should read government’s rich buddies) diversity is so good for us all!

Saw on TV the other morning that a report the NHS has said it is in trouble because of population growth, well I wonder how that could be sorted out?

I guess we need a think tank and a public enquiry to see why the population is growing and figure out a solution, which no doubt will involve importing vast numbers of cheap workers to build the infrastructure and swell the pockets of said buddies!

I've noticed that many of these people from other countries who run or own their own companies always employ their own nationals.

Be it Eastern European or Asian, if that's not discrimination against other's
I don't know what is.

DazedConfused - Nolls son *is* the Boss of his own firm!

Reading the OP again, it would seem that the Firm who normally sub-contracts to his, is now part of a European Group.

If the British(?) Firm seeking tenders from companies in other parts of Europe, I can't see what Noll's son can do about it. However, if they are seeking tenders *only* from companies based in the UK who employ mainly E European workers. then there might be legal recourse.

Of course, any organisation who put a job out to tender, more often than not will accept the cheapest quote. That's commerce for you. :-0

Thanks everyone for all your input, DET has it correct we are quite used to jobs going out for tender but this (as far as we can make out is out the window now) to offer the E. Europeans the jobs first I have no idea if there are any E.E. firms in this country that does the job as it is highly trained therefore may recruit from outside UK so nothing much we can do or else they recruit and train up as their own staff??? who knows but I am quite sure they will not be up to the standard my son's lads are as they have always been at the top of the list for important jobs as they have a very high standard and there is a lot of training for it of course they could show them just what to do and then there will be a lot of mistakes which could be very dangerous, Who knows? Can't say too much here nor can he complain AT the moment and risk losing his contract so far . All I will say is this firm is now owned by a Dutch firm. I may add they (the old firm) did use E.E. a few years ago to make parts and after spending £ thousands moving that part of their business over there it lasted 3 mths and they had to move back to UK. Would be interesting to see what happens if it were not involving son's wee business.

Det

I was talking about the firm who have 'taken over' her sons company!!!