Opening up of labour market in 2004 concerns Leyden

SEANAD REPORT: The Fianna Fáil spokesman on Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mr Terry Leyden, said many people were concerned about the opening up of our labour market to the nationals of EU accession countries from May 2004.

"We don't know how many people will actually come in. Will the floodgates be opened?" he asked, in the second stage debate on the Employment Permits Bill 2003.

The Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mr Michael Ahern, said that from the date of accession, nationals of the 10 new member countries would no longer need employment permits to work in Ireland.

The Bill also put in place a safeguard mechanism whereby the requirement for such permits could be reintroduced in respect of people from these states, should the Irish labour market suffer an unexpected disturbance during a transitional period after EU enlargement had taken place.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for us, as a people, to extend the hand of friendship and solidarity to these new member-states, and to forge new alliances with these countries."

The permit regime generally was being put on a more sound statutory footing. For the first time, a requirement for permits in respect of non-nationals working here was set out in primary legislation, together with penalties for non- compliance by employers and employees.

While noting that there was a mechanism to put a brake on applications in the event of it becoming necessary to do so, Mr Leyden said some people would contend that this was putting the cart before the horse.

The Minister and the Government should reconsider this approach, with a view to having the fail-safe mechanism in place from day one.

If there was a concerted campaign at the very start to bring in 50,000 people from the new EU states to flood the employment market here, we would have no opportunity to prevent that happening.

"I welcome people coming from abroad, but I only welcome them on the basis that there are opportunities here for them, and not at the cost of Irish workers who will be looking to go and join the emigrant train again if we deprive them of employment," he added.

Mr Feargal Quinn (Ind) said he disagreed with the tenor of what Mr Leyden had said.

"I was concerned about words like 'floodgates'. I was concerned about words of 'being too generous'."

It made good economic sense to have a united Europe with free labour movement.

Ms Joanna Tuffy (Lab) said that while permitting access to the jobs market here from 2004 was to be welcomed, she believed that the so-called safety clause in the Bill contradicted the Government's stated intention to promote further EU integration from the outset.