In one 'old' EU member state after another, union organisations are starting to demand that their respective countries' labour markets should remain closed to foreigners, including citizens of other member states. Unemployment is growing in the whole EU, with close to 18 million people currently jobless, according to the Eurostat.
In the UK, the unionists' anger has so far been directed against Portuguese and Italian workers building a refinery in Lincolnshire, but not one can guarantee that anti-Polish won't appear on the banners tomorrow. There are over 1 million Polish workers in Britain.
For now, governments have refused to so much as hear about closing their labour markets to foreign workers, especially those from the EU. They are being supported by the European Commission, which has reminded everyone that the free flow of labour is one of the pillars of the European common market.
Unfortunately, as if there wasn't enough bad news, British health minister Alan Johnson urged Brussels (did he consult that with Prime Minister Gordon Brown?) to amend the European labour market regulations. And in Germany the government insists on prolonging for another two years (the maximum left) restrictions for workers from the new EU member states. Because the unions are demanding it.
At a time of crisis many Western politicians and union leaders simply won't acknowledge that keeping labour market closed is an economic absurdity. Firstly, the free flow of labour generates huge, measurable profits. The British should know it best - Polish workers are estimated to contribute some 6 billion pounds to Britain's annual gross national product!
Secondly, many new jobs simply won't be created because crisis-pressed companies will scrap the planned investments if they are unable to find low-cost labour for them.
Besides, foreign workers will find their way to the Western European labour markets anyway. They will simply work in the grey economy.
But that is something the politicians and union leaders aren't saying. Instead of thinking about reforms and savings, how much easier it is to complain about the bad Poles taking dish-washing jobs away from the good Germans Unfortunately, it seems the crisis is causing Europeans to lose not only their money but sometimes also their reason.
It is the first such major crisis in the 'new,' 27-state EU. In this sense, it is a more serious test for the European institutions than ever before.
The free labour market should emerge victorious from this test. Because even if politicians start restricting its freedom, they will soon realise that it doesn't make economic sense whatsoever. And we've known since Bill Clinton that even in short-sighted politics 'it's the economy, stupid!' That was the slogan that sealed Mr Clinton's victory.
Translated by Marcin Wawrzyńczak
Źródło: Gazeta Wyborcza
