Immigrant workers in France

[SaligoBay]

Disclaimer up front - this post contains references to people's nationality, but no racist intent is to be inferred.

So here we go....... this area (Montpellier-ish, 34) is growing fast, there are chantiers (building sites) appearing everywhere, for new lotissements, new roads, new ZIs, and so on.

Something that is causing comment is the number of non-French workers.  On one, for example, the company camion is from Toulouse, but all the other camions are Portuguese.  On another, the company camion is from 34, but all the others are Turkish.

So what's happening here?   Are employers allowed to pay less than the SMIC to non-French workers?   With unemployment so high in France, are there no French workers to do these jobs?

Or are local people just being cynical about it?  Can someone who knows about inter-country employment explain, please?

Thank you

[Teamedup]

Turkish? I don't understand that. Surely it should be hard to get permission for non EU country companies to work in EU countries. I have been told, rightly or wrongly that the turkish workers usually come to France via Germany, where, once they have the equivilant of a carte de sejour, have the right to work anywhere in europe. If there any truth in this, I don't know why this should happen.

If these workers come directly from Turkey, I can only wonder why they are allowed to, there is no link between Turkey and France, whereas I do understand immigation from the old north African colonies etc.  

The portuguese obviously have every right to work in France but legally never the less.

And I would most certainly be against any workers being brought in and paid less than the minimum wage.

[Mysfloss]

As I 've said before there is a lack of skilled workers in the french construction industry the foriegn workers( me included)are used not because we are better but because thats all there is.I work with turks and they have catre de sejours nonEU.Well most of them any way !!!They aren't paid less then smic, but suppose that that is debatable too,as many don't work for the main contractor.This isn't restricted to turks though .

[Pangur]

Same in most countries and always has been as far as I can see.  Locals generally don't want to work on building sites and it's can be a pretty good earner for someone who wants to earn a bit of money and is prepared to put the work in.  I have friends who've worked the sites all over Europe, the UK and Australia, but there is no way they'd do the same back in Ireland.

[SaligoBay]

That's fine, thank you, that's all I wanted to know!    I assumed they would be legal, especially given that they're in full view of everyone (rather than being smuggled in in hidden compartments and all that), but here in France I get accused of not being cynical enough! 

Anyone any idea as to why there are so few French construction workers?  

 

[Mysfloss]

Image is the problem IMO people view construction as "anyone can do that" a last resort perhaps for people who can't find anything else!The image of poor conditions,working out in all weathers etc.

Viewed from outside this can be the impression given,most people only see smaller firms where the situation can be dire.When you go on bigger sites conditions improve dramatically heated "barraques" hot &cold water ,toilets and many more visits from inspector de travail.This attitude isn't confined to France either!!!

[Mistral]

I agree with mysfloss, construstion work is seen  as a "last resort". I'm in the process of trying to help my 3emes decide which BEP's etc they want to do next year. None of them want to ask for maconnerie or revetement de batiments. No, they all want to do VAM (vente action marchande)

 

[SaligoBay]

Thank you, your replies have given me something to think about.  I know so many people in low-paid jobs here, I kind of had the impression that, unless you're specifically trained to do a particular job, any means of earning money is fair game.   But apparently even unemployed French people have their limits!! 

Interesting though, isn't this what happened in Britain in the 50s and 60s?  People didn't want to do "menial" jobs like bus-driving, but when West Indians came in and did them, suddenly they were stealing our jobs. 

Plus ça change! 

[0BRIAN WOODHEADI,m here in franceddMMyyyy0Falseen-USI,m here in franceTrue]

The workers could indeed be turkish from germany,now that the germans have gone "belly up" in terms of the economy.The turks have guest worker status in germany and while some have german citizens and have the right to work anywhere in the nightmare call the EU,2p in the pound rise when blair gives up the UK rebate.

 

[Furry Knickers]

At least they are working and not scroungers looking for grants!

Tony Christie lived near us!