Migrants against less available Czech work permits
Prague, May 10 (CTK) - Several dozens of foreigners from Mongolia, Ukraine and Vietnam and workers of NGOs focusing on migrants Thursday protested in Prague against tougher conditions for employment of non-EU foreigners in the Czech Republic introduced by the Labour and Social Affairs Ministry.
Elena Tulupova, from a group of 26 NGOs focusing on migrants, said not only new migrants arriving in the country but also those who have been living in the Czech Republic for several years would not be granted work permits because of the ministry's new measure.
Tulupova said those foreigners who would otherwise work legally in the country will enter the grey zone due to this.
She said this would mainly affect unqualified labourers like construction workers, cleaning women and assistants to cooks.
As of July, work permits will be granted only for six months and even manual workers will have to prove that they have secondary education.
The ministry argues that it wants to offer jobs first of all to the officially registered job applicants.
The protesters had banners "We don't work against one another, we work together."
Jiri Vanasek, head of the ministry's section of labour market services, told the protesters Thursday that the aim is not to get rid of foreigners but to correctly assess whether a given job cannot be performed by an officially registered job applicant. According to law, a work permit can be issued only if there is no official applicant, Vanasek said.
At the end of 2011, 36,640 non-EU foreigners received work permits in the Czech Republic. In 2010 it was 49,118 non-EU foreigners and in 2009 73,663 of them.
Czech authorities began to reduce the influx of immigrants after the economic crisis started and the unemployment rate went up. Copyright 2011 by the Czech News Agency (ČTK).
Elena Tulupova, from a group of 26 NGOs focusing on migrants, said not only new migrants arriving in the country but also those who have been living in the Czech Republic for several years would not be granted work permits because of the ministry's new measure.
Tulupova said those foreigners who would otherwise work legally in the country will enter the grey zone due to this.
She said this would mainly affect unqualified labourers like construction workers, cleaning women and assistants to cooks.
As of July, work permits will be granted only for six months and even manual workers will have to prove that they have secondary education.
The ministry argues that it wants to offer jobs first of all to the officially registered job applicants.
The protesters had banners "We don't work against one another, we work together."
Jiri Vanasek, head of the ministry's section of labour market services, told the protesters Thursday that the aim is not to get rid of foreigners but to correctly assess whether a given job cannot be performed by an officially registered job applicant. According to law, a work permit can be issued only if there is no official applicant, Vanasek said.
At the end of 2011, 36,640 non-EU foreigners received work permits in the Czech Republic. In 2010 it was 49,118 non-EU foreigners and in 2009 73,663 of them.
Czech authorities began to reduce the influx of immigrants after the economic crisis started and the unemployment rate went up. Copyright 2011 by the Czech News Agency (ČTK).
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