This section provides some contextual information about
migrant workers in Ireland. It provides a useful introduction,
however it is recommended that you contact the agencies
listed at the end of each section for more detailed information.
Article 2 of the International Convention
on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and
Members of Their Families 1990 defines a migrant worker
as “a person who is to be engaged, is engaged or has
been engaged in a remunerated activity in a State of which
he or she is not a national.”
Much of the recent increase in cultural diversity in Ireland
is a consequence of migrant workers coming to Ireland. The
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
recently concluded that migrant workers have played an important
role in contributing to sustained economic growth in Ireland,
a view that is also supported by the Economic and Social
Research Institute (ESRI).
The vast majority of non-EEA migrant workers enter the
State on employment permits and employers, not would-be
employers apply for these permits. In 2000 the Department
of enterprise, Trade and Employment introduced the work
visa/authorisation scheme to enable the entry of skilled
workers in specific skills areas. Work authorisation letters
and work visas are issued directly to the immigrant by the
Irish embassy in their country of origin or habitual residence.
Because of skills and labour shortages, Irish businesses
and employers and State agencies have been actively recruiting
outside of the European Economic Area in recent years. The
number of work permits increased from 6,000 in 1999 to over
47,000 work permits issued by the end of 2003. In 2003 21,956
new work permits and 25,039 renewed permits were issued
to nationals from 140 different countries. The top ten countries
from which the new work permits originated were Poland,
Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Philippines, South Africa, Romania,
China, Brazil and Australia. The vast majority of work permits
are for the service industry, catering, agriculture and
fisheries, and the medical and nursing sectors.
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment anticipate
that there will be a drop in applications for work permits
as a consequence of employers sourcing a higher proportion
of migrant labour from the new EU States.
Many migrant workers will only want to work in Ireland
for relatively short periods of time before returning home
or finding work elsewhere. Others will make Ireland their
home and will apply for long-term residency and citizenship.
Non-EEA nationals working in Ireland with work permits/visas
are entitled to the same employment rights as other EU nationals.
Table 1: Total work
permits issued by year and by category: 1999-2003. Source:
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, available
at: www.entemp.ie
Year
|
New Permits |
Renewals |
Total |
1999 |
4,328 |
1,653 |
6,250 |
2000 |
15,434 |
2,271 |
18,006 |
2001 |
29,594 |
6,485 |
36,436 |
2002 |
23,326 |
16,562 |
40,321 |
2003 |
21,956 |
25,039 |
47,551 |
2004 |
10,020 |
23,246 |
34,000 |
January - July 2005 |
4221 |
11,135 |
15,826 |
More statistics on migration available at www.entemp.ie/labour/workpermits/statistics.htm
 |
People attending the monthly Migrant
Forum as organised by the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland
(MCRI). Photo courtesy of Alan Grossman |
The NCCRI Racist Incident Reporting Procedure
has documented racist incidents directed at migrant workers
in Ireland. The types of racist incidents ranged from verbal
and physical abuse to discrimination in accessing goods
or services or in their employment. The Council of Europe
watchdog on racism, the European Commission on Racism and
Intolerance (ECRI) Second Report on Ireland stated that
“more attention needs to be paid to non-citizen workers
as members of Irish society rather than just economic entities
and that measures should be taken to reflect this approach,
such as for example the introduction of a wider range of
work permit types to meet different situations and wider
possibilities for family reunification.”
While many migrant workers with work permits and visas
enjoy adequate conditions of employment, there are also
increasing reports of migrant workers experiencing poor
and exploitative conditions arising from the actions or
inactions of a number of rogue employers and employment
agencies. By its very nature, the extent of this is difficult
to assess as workers in such positions are slow to come
forward out of fear of losing their employment or jeopardising
the employment of their colleagues. In some cases, through
language barriers or lack of access to impartial information,
migrant workers may not have knowledge of employment and
equality rights in Ireland. There has been an increase in
the number of complaints to the Equality Tribunal taken
under the race ground of the Employment Equality Act 1998.
There is a growing awareness of the need
to address racism and support cultural diversity in the
employment arena in Ireland. It is to be welcomed that the
rights of migrant workers are a key focus of the Anti-Racist
Workplace Week which takes place every November. For more
information on this initiative, contact the Equality Authority,
Clonmel St, Dublin 2, Tel: 01 4173333, web: www.equality.ie
Further Reading
Dr. P. Conroy & Aoife Brennan: Migrant Workers
and their Experiences (2003). Available from Equality
Authority.
Equality Authority: Accommodating Diversity in
Labour Market Programmes. Available from the Equality
Authority.
Immigrant Council of Ireland: Labour Migration
into Ireland: Study and Recommendations on Employment Permits,
Working Conditions, Family Reunification and the Integration
of Migrant Workers in Ireland. (2003) Available
from the Immigrant Council of Ireland.
Immigrant Council of Ireland: Voices of Immigrants:
The Challenges of Inclusion. (2004). Available
from the Immigrant Council of Ireland.
Immigrant Council of Ireland; Handbook on Immigrant’s
Rights and Entitlements in Ireland (2003). Available
from Immigrant Council of Ireland.
Interact: Promoting an Intercultural Workplace:
Building on Diversity: Report on the Experience of Irish
and Migrant Workers. (October 2003). Available
from www.interact2.com
Irish Human Rights Commission / NCCRI: Safeguarding
the Rights of Migrant Workers and their Families: A Review
of EU and International Standards: Implications for Policy
in Ireland. April 2004.
Migrants Rights Centre Ireland: Work Permits in
Ireland: A Recommendation for Change (2004). Available
from the MCRI.
NCCRI: Migration Policy in Ireland: Reform and
Harmonisation. December 2002
Further information
International
sources:
