The Government is drawing up plans for a "green card" system which would allow skilled migrant workers and their families from outside the EU permanent residency rights in the State. Carl O'Brien, Social Affairs Correspondent, reports.
The green card would be available to skilled workers from a range of areas where they are deemed to be in short supply, such as science and technology, engineering, the health service and the IT sector.
Government sources say the new system will be introduced in response to growing competition for highly skilled migrant workers in Europe and the US.
At present, skilled migrant workers in certain sectors may work here and bring their family members under a work visa or authorisation scheme, which is renewable every two years. Others must obtain a work permit, renewable every 12 months.
Government sources have suggested that the number of green cards issued in the initial years of the scheme may be in the low thousands. However, this figure will depend on detailed assessments of labour shortages and economic forecasts.
The number of cards issued and the sectors where they will apply will be at the discretion of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mr Martin.
That Department will have to be satisfied that the worker is unlikely to become a burden on the State before it issues the green card. Card holders, as with all other people legally resident in the State for five years, will be able to apply for citizenship.
Aspects of the plan are still under discussion and will be detailed in the Employment Permits Bill, which is due to come before Cabinet in the coming months.
The Minister is also planning to introduce a series of changes in the work permits system to protect workers from exploitation.
The legislation is expected to include fines of up to €50,000 or five years in prison for employers found guilty of serious breaches of labour law. Employers will have to satisfy a number of criteria, including compliance with the minimum wage, tax compliance and working conditions, before joining a register of approved firms seeking work permits for employees.
Firms which do not meet basic standards, or have a record of flouting labour law, are likely to be rejected from the register and will be unable to apply for permits.
However, unions and migrant worker support groups are likely to say the changes will not go far enough.
There are no plans at present to change the existing system where permits are held by employers rather than workers, although this is still under discussion, according to senior sources.
The former president, Mrs Mary Robinson, and a number of non-governmental organisations have likened the work permit system to "bonded servitude" because permits are held by employers rather than workers. As a result, employees who are unhappy with pay or conditions are not free to change jobs.
Almost 35,000 work permits were issued last year compared to 47,500 in 2003. The fall has been due mainly to changes in employment rights for citizens in the EU accession countries who no longer require permits.
The planned changes come at a time when Government labour inspectors are investigating more than 300 cases of possible exploitation and mistreatment of employees, the majority of whom are immigrant workers.
The SIPTU trade union and the Migrant Rights Centre have criticised the Government for appointing just 21 labour inspectors to monitor compliance with labour law.
About 5,000 inspections of premises took place last year, according to the latest figures. Fourteen employers were prosecuted for breaches of employment law.
The figures are down by almost a third compared to 2003, when more than 7,000 inspections took place, resulting in 20 successful prosecutions. Officials say the drop was due to work commitments related to Ireland's presidency of the EU.