The first studies of migrant groups conducted by compatriots reveal the discrimination they encounter, writes Kate Holmquist
A globalised economy has transformed Ireland within five years from a tight-knit, homogenous island into a society where indigenous Irish and migrant workers live side by side. The estimated 120,000 Polish people and 60,000-100,000 Chinese have become the largest migrant groups in Ireland, yet few Irish-born people have direct social contact with them.
What do they really think about us? How did they choose Ireland and how have they been affected by their experiences here? Our assumed answers to these questions are in many cases wrong. Polish young people, for example, have not been attracted to Ireland because they want to be in a Catholic country, we learn in the first of a new series of sociological studies of these communities in Ireland, commissioned by the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism in Ireland (NCCRI).
These studies of the two largest migrant groups are valuable because the Polish and Chinese were able to speak to researchers in their own languages, says Philip Watt, director of the NCCRI. Katarzyna Kropiwec conducted the Polish interviews and Ying Yun Wang interviewed the Chinese in Mandarin. This revealed aspects of experience that wouldn't have come to light if the interviews were conducted in English, says Watt. It also meant migrants with poor English could be included.
The second study, on the Chinese community, tells us that some students feel they're being treated as "non-humans" by student services set up to help them, because the language schools they attend are essentially "revenue streams".
What both ethnic minority communities have in common is isolation, homesickness and experiences of racism. This is despite the results of a poll by the National Action Plan Against Racism released earlier this week which showed that attitudes toward immigrants and foreign nationals appear to have softened significantly in recent years.
The 50 interviewees - 23 Poles, 22 Chinese and five "experts" - spoke with interviewers for up to 65 minutes each. Both studies were co-authored by Dr Rebecca Chiyoko King-O'Riain of the Department of Sociology, NUI Maynooth.
• Studies will be available on www.nccri.ie next week
The Polish
Polish migrants are aware that Irish people might think of them as "backward" or "unsophisticated" because they work in low-paid jobs, yet the Poles see how Ireland lags behind the places from which they came, the report states.
The unreliable Irish transport system, the "pessimistic" mood created by the weather and the lack of good, wholesome food are major complaints. Employers in Ireland seem to be able to pay what they like, just as they do in Poland where there is an employers' market, due to the unemployment rate of 15 per cent overall, but as high as 24.7 per cent in some regions.
"I've heard that there is segregation [ in Irish workplaces]. That a Hungarian would work for €9 minimum, a Pole for €8 and I know that a Latvian, Slovak and Russian would agree to work for even €7," says a 24-year-old sales assistant.
This "ethnic stratification" means that cleaning positions are filled by Russians, Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians, with the production lines filled by Polish and the administration being Irish. The engineers are of mixed background, but the supervisors are Irish, a 55-year-old production line worker says.
Many Poles have had to leave spouses and children behind in Poland. Magda (28), who works here as a caregiver and has her child with her in Ireland, but not her husband, says: "Two or three years longer, our marriage will break apart . . . How many moments in Adam's life is he missing? . . .We cannot have a second child; I'm raising one child alone . . . We are in a very difficult situation."
A 28-year-old construction worker who earns four times more in Ireland than he did in Poland, says: "I love my country. If only it could offer me a little more money. I think that Irish people have a very good life; for the money they earn, they can afford quite a lot . . . If I could have such a life in Poland I wouldn't have gone abroad."
Most work below their skill level and few understand their employment rights because, even with good English, Poles find the language associated with rights and entitlements difficult to understand.
"I know that [ Irish employees get more money]. I saw pay slips. The smallest rate Irish have is €13. Yes. I saw pay slips of my colleagues and it is so. Really!" says a 24-year-old female sales assistant.
A 28-year-old construction worker says: "I don't trust the Irish. They are nice and friendly, or they seem to be, but they think something else . . . we found out that we were paid half of what we should have been paid."
Racism, particularly in the form of negative stereotyping, can be frustrating for them. "There is evidence of racial discrimination in employment with Polish workers reporting being paid less for the same work than their Irish counterparts," the report states. "But a lack of adequate English, on top of a lack of information about their rights and fear of losing their jobs, means that Polish workers are unlikely to complain," the report states.
The NCCRI recommends that the Poles be offered free English courses, as well as information on employment rights, taxes and how to seek redress in the Polish language. However, Poles who are able to work here at their chosen professions - such as architecture - are grateful for the experience that will look good on their CVs back home.
Retaining a Polish identity is important to them. "Polish language and culture is an important consideration for many Polish migrants in Ireland. Contrary to previous assumptions, religion does not play a great or decisive factor in the decision by Polish migrants to migrate to Ireland," the report states.
Like the Irish emigrating to the US, the Poles practise classic "chain migration". Most cannot afford to be without work for even a week, so having Polish friends or family here softens the blow.
Some of the younger Poles are cosmopolitan globe-trotters. "I wanted my life to be more interesting and when the opportunity came, I decided to take it," says a 27-year-old woman who works in a pharmacy. Most want to return to Poland eventually, but the longer they remain, the less likely this becomes, especially if they have children enrolled in Irish schools.
A 34-year-old female administrator says: "As I know the language better, as I stay here longer, I want to live here. I got used to it. Or rather, I got unused to Poland. When I go there for a month for the summer, many things disturb me. I didn't have that feeling before. Before, there was only homesickness. And now, when I'm in Poland, I think that I'm coming back home when I come here."
The Chinese
Of all the migrant groups living in Ireland, the Chinese are the most isolated, according to the research. Many have developed support networks within the Chinese community, but their efforts to interact with Irish people are less successful. Many say they haven't much in common with students who want to talk about GAA, are more sexually adventurous and want to go out drinking.
The NCCRI estimates that there are at least 60,000 and as many as 100,000 Chinese nationals living in Ireland, most of them on student visas. Some originally wanted to go to the US, but after 9/11 in 2001 they had difficulty getting visas, while some also found US tuition fees too high. Most Chinese students, who are allowed to work part-time, are studying English in private colleges; only 10 per cent are in universities.
The majority have one or two part-time, low-paid jobs in catering and cleaning, often working long hours. Some send money home to China to repay agency and language school fees that had to be paid in advance. Most are also saving money for further education courses.
Getting into university is highly competitive in China - with 9.5 million students vying for 2.6 million places. Chinese agencies led them to believe that studying and living expenses in Ireland were less, but when they came here, they found that the cost was higher. The longer they stay, the more likely they are to want to live here permanently but there are barriers such as employment visas, the high cost of living and restricted access to long-term residency rights.
Racial discrimination is a fact of life. A 30-year-old university student says: "Racism would never happen before, say, three or four years ago. When I first came, I thought the Irish people were really nice and friendly."
Many are reluctant to complain about poor treatment within educational institutions because they fear that their visas will not be renewed, or their attendance records (needed for visa renewal) will be altered. People on student visas also find themselves treated differently at work.
"People in Ireland expect Chinese workers to work more and better. For example, suppose you were working in the accommodation department: the manager expects Chinese workers to clean 12 to 13 rooms in a certain time period, but they only expect other foreign workers to clean 10 to 11," a 33-year-old private college student says. A 25-year-old student adds: "Sometimes we know something is not fair, but we cannot speak for ourselves if we want to stay."
Some Chinese feel trapped in Ireland due to financial commitments back home. A 37-year-old female language student says: "I am always thinking of going back. My husband just bought an apartment in China; this was a lot of money, so I probably will stay here for a while to earn some money for the mortgage. When I first came, I found that everything was difficult, but I can manage things better now. I do not know when exactly I will go back."
Others like Ireland and see it as a convenient stop-over point. A 25-year-old care assistant, who is a registered nurse in Ireland, says: "In the end I want to go to Australia because it is an immigrant country. I can apply for permanent residency after I live there for a few years. The immigrant policy in Ireland is quite strict."
Many feel they can never see Ireland as "home". A 40-year-old male salesperson says: "I cannot integrate into Irish society . . . I am always the worker who works for the Irish. Now I have long-term residence status but I still have the same idea. The only difference is that I am more flexible. I do not need to worry about renewing visas. I will eventually go back to China with my wife once my daughter finishes her education."
One 25-year-old interviewee, who has an Irish boyfriend, says that the longer she stays in Ireland, the less she thinks about being a "foreigner". "But something specific happens and you know you are still a foreigner."
"Feeling foreign" stretches to knowing what jobs to apply for, since Chinese people feel they don't have the same chance as people from the EU. They speak openly about how Eastern Europeans "blend in" better because they are white and don't need a visa to work.
The Chinese, in general, find it difficult to overcome cultural differences. "Drinking is part of the lifestyle and their culture; I do not like drinking at all. I think drinking has already brought a lot of social problems to this country. When I worked in a pub, the same customers came to the pub every afternoon; drinking to them is like drinking water for me. In the evening, everyone drinks - it does not matter, boys or girls. This actually makes me terrified," a 33-year-old male student of English says. A 22-year-old female private college student says that "Irish people's attitude toward sex is freer than Chinese people's". She gets on well with her Irish friends, but is not as close to them as they are with each other, or as she is with her Chinese friends.
The report recommends that students here for more than three years, who have completed a third-level degree, should be allowed to remain on a professional work visa to gain work experience and contribute to the Irish economy.
"A more difficult area to tackle is the racialisation of Chinese: to deracialise the Chinese as a 'form of revenue' for schools, colleges and the Irish State or low-wage workers and to see them as human beings making valid (often non-financial) contributions to Irish society," the report states. "English-language schools need to take account of different Chinese learning styles, while communication and opportunities for interaction need to increase," it recommends.
