On the way immigration has hurt the skilled manual labour area I have some thoughts after working in the area for 21 years.
This is mainly around Peterborough and shipyards.
Immigration was always healthy in Peterborough. I’ve said many times how diverse it was and how a real mixed group of people was enjoyable to grow up in. Work wise there has always been a good mix, a lot of Italians came to Peterborough along with India, Bangladesh, Pakistan areas plus a small amount of Chinese etc. There were a few Polish I was aware of but not in great numbers from what I can remember.
Once I started work in 1998 I noticed more Eastern European’s, all was lovely and then probably a couple of years before I started to travel with work, so 2002 ish there felt like a big influx. The community started to split and there is a definite segregation of communities now. From Werrington to Peterborough town you go through the India, then Eastern Europe, then Rasta area before going into the beautiful nirvana that is Peterborough
Very little integration compared to before and it happened very quickly. My Father came to the area in 1978 and worked in the same factory I started work in and noticed a much more gradual change.
Within the shipyards, well the unions and union style of working ruined it for themselves. We had a mass of highly skilled labour who went on strikes, blamed everyone but their own unions greed and when the cheaper labour from Eastern Europe came in they were quickly shown that they were not needed.
Simple things like working to the bell, the UK guys were taking the mick, the bussed in labour (literally a polish bus in A&P Tyne) worked from bell to bell. For Super Intendants this is important and and also for shipyards as they know they won’t get any hassle from them and they will do whatever overtime they can get. The problem was though that in general the skill level was far lower, the quality worse and there was no guarantee the next ship would have the same team as they were more nomadic and went from job to job. You never quite knew if you were getting a mechanical fitter to help you or carpet fitter.
This is again I believe because there was too many coming in too fast and it was easy money. This happens with every trade I believe. Wages dropped through the floor aswell. I had a brilliant team with me Falmouth, all time served and they would take what they could get, we asked for them specifically as their quality was so good, which is important for hugely expensive kit. They were all from Falmouth though as we always knew they would be available and we always knew what we would get.
On another note, my friend does refurbs in offices, schools, homes etc and he has 3 Romanian guys who work for him and are great and they did a lovely job on my house, they were not cheap though, he just uses them as they are good.
Let everyone in if they can be a benefit, their family can come too even if ultimately they cost more than they give back. Just do it in a slow and controlled manner.
I realise this makes me a bigoted right wing racist but I can’t be, as I helped fix my neighbours car today and he is black and everything
Dave!