Companies 'have duty' to hire local workers says minister in UK

[Cynic Paradise]

10charmessage

[Crissi]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-23462393



What are your opinions on this? Should people local to the country be granted priority above those abroad who seeks to work in the country, provided they have sufficient skills for doing the job? I feel people that are in the country should be granted priority in being able to get a job above those who do not live in the country.

Are we talking grunt work, or are we talking about highly specialized and intelligent fields? Because I certainly wouldn't want to hire a lesser qualified local just cause he's local, especially in the latter case.

[Spectral]

I don't think anyone has a duty to be xenophobic.

[LilSaihah]

This dude's a minister. How about he propose some legislation, or the removal of some legislation, instead of flap his trap?

[oxymoronic]

Can't believe its even a debate. Of course you should pick the local worker over a foreign worker and I come from the Philippines where the best jobs are abroad but at least I understand...

[Crissi]

Well one would need to see the qualifications of the 2 to see if it is indeed just a preference for foreigners since the qualifications are equal, or its just an angry local saying "foreigners are taking my jobs!"

While I don't doubt there are companies that employ foreigners just to pad their bottom line, I highly doubt all do that.

[LilSaihah]

EU laws prevent him from doing that and they are not likely to change.

GG. Give it 5-10 years and EU will go splat, I guess?

[Ianus]

totally support it and understand and i'm not brit..

[Spectral]

When there is a high unemployment rate I do not see why they should bring in people from other countries when they've got people that would be able to do the same work already in the country. It just adds to the unemployment rate to give someone abroad the job instead of someone local to the country.

I don't see why any employer has an obligation to someone that they've never met simply because they were born in the same country.

[Spectral]

Because it adds to the unemployment to bring in foreign work force when it's not needed.

Why should this concern me if I'm hiring? Put another way, why is my obligation at the national level rather than at the individual level, corporate level, or world level?

[DEATHETERNAL]

A company has no duty to hire an individual who sets the price of his labor far higher than another individual when the two are equally qualified and capable of doing the work. In fact, a publically traded company has the duty to do the exact opposite, and a privately owned company has no logical reason to do so other than to subsidize the higher priced laborer for emotional reasons.

If there was a 80% unemployment rate among the natives, would you support bringing in foreign work force? Corporations should not be allowed to decimate a countries population in that way, one that they reside in.

If natives priced themselves out of the labor market in the face of far cheaper foreign labor, yes. It is the fault of the native labor force for setting the price of their labor unreasonably high, not the fault of the company for trying to make a profit (the reason and enabler for its existence).

[Spectral]

If there was a 80% unemployment rate among the natives, would you support bringing in foreign work force? Corporations should not be allowed to decimate a countries population in that way, one that they reside in.

As far as I know, there's no such thing as a functional nation with an 80% unemployment rate, so it's kind of a pointless hypothetical.

Again though, why is the obligation at the national level? Why not an obligation to do what's right for my family, my business, or my town? Or, on the flip side, what's best for my continent, or the entire world?

[Spectral]

I know there is no such nation. It was a hyperbole to see where you would draw the line.

I don't see a reason for their to be a line. If there was 2% unemployment, I'd think the same of this that I do at 12%. It's simply not incumbent on a business owner to do something that's not in his interests.

Because the state should have more of an obligation to help those who have lived in the country rather than someone who just arrived.

I'm not sure if this is ethically true, but even if it is, I don't think it implies that an individual has that obligation.

[DEATHETERNAL]

Because the state should have more of an obligation to help those who have lived in the country rather than someone who just arrived. As such I believe they should be making laws to make companies have to prioritize native work force above foreign work force.

That is not only tyrannical, but would harm your nation as much if not more so than it would help it. When companies are legally forced to make unprofitable choices with no foreseeable benefit, that incentives them to leave your nation entirely.

So you support forcing natives out from the job market and having people come and work for pay that they can barely get by on, per month?

They force themselves out by setting the price of their labor so far above the market value of labor. It is their choice to force themselves out of the labor market.

[GreatOak]

Nobody has a duty to be xenophobic but they do have a duty to hire the people they want to hire, and this usually means the people with the most skills. If locals don't have the skills, tough.

[Spectral]

So you support forcing natives out from the job market and having people come and work for pay that they can barely get by on, per month?

I don't have a strong opinion on the matter. I'm not a hiring manager. I'm not really much of an advocate or detractor from capitalist systems.

I believe companies should have that obligation or be required by law to accommodate native work force above foreign work force.

If you're of the opinion that not hiring a native worker hurts them, it seems obvious that the corollary is that not hiring a foreign worker hurts them. Why is it OK to hurt foreigners?

[Durandro]

What are your opinions on this?

The words "let your actions speak for you". The Conservatives have shown ZERO indication that they actually believe this - they seem more in favour of companies sacking all their employees then rehiring 'work placement candidates' who get paid ZERO wages. They actively try to vendor off public sector jobs to private companies, who often use foreign workforces, at discount prices.

For this Tory MP to get any inkling of respect from me he should start implimenting actual policies to increase local jobs and encourage companies to hire, rather then lecture companies about their 'duty' when so many of his companions completely ignore theirs while stealing as much money from the nation as possible.

[DEATHETERNAL]

If you're of the opinion that not hiring a native worker hurts them, it seems obvious that the corollary is that not hiring a foreign worker hurts them. Why is it OK to hurt foreigners?

Because he and his friends aren't foreigners.

You should not have to drop the price of your labor to the point that you cannot or can barely survive on your pay.

That is a red herring to a great extent. The issue isn't whether they could survive or not, the issue is whether they could maintain their lifestyle or not. The answer to that is no. To survive they would need to reduce the cost of their lifestyle which most are quite capable of doing despite claims to the contrary.

I believe people have a right to jobs in their own countries.

Though it depends on what nation you are from, you are likely simply wrong in that belief.

[Spectral]

I believe people have a right to jobs in their own countries.

I do not believe this. I think if we both have businesses, you should be allowed to hire in accordance with your desire to discriminate against foreigners and I should be allowed to hire in accordance with selecting the person I think is best for the job.

That seems fair to me. I think my take on the matter perhaps is somewhat different because I've dated a bunch of foreigners, including one that I was close to marrying; my empathy for how hard they have it is high.

[Durandro]

I believe people have a right to jobs in their own countries. As such, natives should have priority in their own country over foreign work force provided they are on the same skill-level.

I agree up to a point. Immigrants deserve jobs too, but people coming here specifically to work rather then live should only be hired if they are ideally qualified for the job when there's a lack of local recruits. A bit vague, I know, but it is a bit of a pisser when you can't even get a job stacking shelves or flipping burgers.

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Their hands are bound by EU. They cannot do that without breaking EU law.

There's no EU law saying they should abuse their privilges and take huge 'donations' from lobbeyists.

Also I seriously doubt there's an EU law that states slave labour is at all acceptable. Which is almost exactly what the 'work placement' program is, if you don't work the job you're assigned for nothing you lose your benefits. Blackmail is a dirty yet appropriate word.