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Migration and the challenges to social welfare

Migration and the challenges to social welfare. Restructuring welfare VIII. Fortress Europe. Dimensions of EU migration. Internal migration: single market encouraged Of capital (including MNC restructuring) Of services ( Bolkestein directive 2005) Of labour (between member states)

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Migration and the challenges to social welfare

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  1. Migration and the challenges to social welfare Restructuring welfare VIII

  2. Fortress Europe

  3. Dimensions of EU migration • Internal migration: single market encouraged • Of capital (including MNC restructuring) • Of services (Bolkestein directive 2005) • Of labour (between member states) • External migration: the EU’s porous borders • Illegal and legal migrants • The demographic problem • The re-gendering of migration • Conclusions: what is migration?

  4. Who are the migrants? • Generally young: male and female • Commonly highly qualified: seek any work in hope of being able to upgrade • Commonly highly exploited (language problems: no information on social rights) • Commonly widely resented as ‘threat’ by established populations • But essential.

  5. Immigrants in the EU

  6. New accession states and MNC restructuring • EU expansion to 27 breaks up the ‘rich club’ • Post 1990: market reforms in old soviet block states undermined work agreements, welfare: growth of black economies (esp. Baltic states) • Response of major MNCs (VW: GEC: GM) • Reorganise production : core services on old western Europe: production and supply lines go to CEE states (Czech: Slovak: Slov: Hun: Pol) • High levels of cross-border industrial collaboration in central Europe • Weakness of European Works Councils to influence redistribution of work

  7. Freedom of services (Bolkestein) • Switch of EU policy: Delors (Posted Workers’ Directive 1995) to Borosso (as head EC) • 2005: Free Movement of Services Directive: (competition law & the single market) • ‘Country of origin’ principle determines conditions of employment • Ostensibly allows health & social services (etc) to compete across borders • Also affects transport, insurance, construction & all subcontracted services to any project. • Creates famous series of disputes

  8. Laval and Viking • Laval (2004-5) Latvian construction company employs Latvian labour in Sweden • Swedish TUs boycott construction site • Case reaches ECJ: ‘freedom of services’ v. EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. • Viking (2005-6): Finnish employers recruit Estonians to replace Finnish seafarers • Viking Line reflags fleet to Estonia • Case referred to ECJ: ITWF v. Viking Line • ECJ finds for employer in both cases. Competition law trumps employment rights. • Nb 2006: European Year of Workers’ mobility

  9. Free movement of labour • ‘Transitional arrangements’ block employment in all old 15 member states bar UK, Swe. & Ire. • In Ger. & Aus. continues until 2011 • UK & Ire. restrict migrants from Rom & Bul. • Major issue: public hostility • Rising unemployment in W. Europe • Migratory waves: Baltic states & Pol. • Strikes & issues of ‘social dumping’ • Post 2007: more collaboration in union movements between west and east (inf. on social rights etc.)

  10. The growing black-grey economy

  11. Labour organisation: from national institutions to EU networks Table 1.  Opportunities for Transnational Union Action

  12. Migrants from outside the EU

  13. Migration from south and east • Via Spain, Italy, Malta, Cyprus, Greece • Countries without resources to police borders • Operation of people smugglers • Overcharging (migrant debt) • Dangerous passage (cf Channel Tunnel: underside of lorries etc.) • Clandestine work at illegal wages (prostitution etc.) • Solution: legal recognition: pay taxes, acquire rights • Latvia and Baltic states: out migration west sucks in migrant workers from ex-Soviet block countries

  14. Spanish migrant population

  15. ‘Legal’ migrants • European countries have always recruited cheap overseas labour (industry: transport catering/ cleaning) • Changing gender of migrants: result of privatised welfare services • Private welfare services (child & elder care) • Pre-trained medical personnel • Single females send money back to families • Female labour market activation: • Spread of middle class domestic child and elder care • Demographic issues • Exploitation of less developed countries

  16. Past visions of the future

  17. Conclusions: who are migrants?

  18. Conclusions: from national to EU identities • Problems of citizenship: • Two world wars and dissolution European land empires create ‘national’ (fluid) identities • Equally break up of overseas imperial domains (UK and France) creates new ‘nations’. • Creation of EU ‘single market’ implicitly over-rides national identities • Migration law, however, allows (encourages) exploitation of under-developed countries and their citizens.

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