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| Micheál Martin, T.D. |
The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin, TD,
today announced that the Government has decided to continue to require that nationals of Romania and Bulgaria apply for work permits in order to participate in the Irish labour market, but that preference would be given to them over nationals of non-European Economic Area countries. The UK introduced similar controls today.
Martin said that this would be kept under on-going review and would be assessed comprehensively before the end of 2008.
The minister said that the Government was informed in its decision by the very significant inflow of labour migrants Ireland had experienced since May 2004, when the decision was taken to allow nationals of the EU 10 Member States to participate in the Irish labour market without work permits.
The views of IBEC and ICTU and the position of other Member States on the issue were also taken into account.
Martin said that the Government felt that on this occasion, it was appropriate to take stock, be cautious and concentrate on addressing the integration needs of those who had already come to live and work in Ireland.
Limits on Bulgarians' and Romanians' right to work in the UK have also been been unveiled by Home Secretary John Reid.
He said the only unskilled jobs they could take initially will be in food processing and agriculture.
The countries join the EU in January. The curbs contrast with the "open door" policy when another eight former communist states joined in 2004.
At that time the Home Office expected about 15,000 migrant workers a year - but 600,000 arrived in two years.
"We will manage this process gradually and we will attempt to achieve the balance between the needs of our economy and taking opportunities where there is a shortage of skilled labour," Mr Reid said.
IBEC, the group that represents Irish business, today said that while it understood the decision to put in place a work permit regime for citizens from Bulgaria and Romania, it regretted that the proposals would not give preference to these new EU citizens over non-European Economic Area nationals in a more definitive manner.
IBEC had recommended that Ireland should allow Bulgarian and Romanian citizens to be granted work permits on foot of a job offer, without having to go through the ‘labour market test’, which is part of the current government proposal.
IBEC Director General Turlough O’Sullivan said: “Restrictions on full access for Romanian and Bulgarian workers to the labour market should be limited in time and scope. The transitional measures being put in place should also give preference to these workers over individuals from third countries.”
“While it is necessary to put in place a system that enables the effective on-going monitoring of the situation, the aim right across Europe must be to press ahead with the necessary adjustments to allow full free movement at the earliest opportunity,” he said.
IBEC also said that the early declaration of the Irish Government’s intentions should give employers and individuals enough time to understand the rules that will apply in January and to prepare appropriately for them.
