Ireland can still get integration of migrants right

IRELAND has been given “plenty of warnings” from countries like France as to what will happen if migrant workers are not integrated into society, an international expert said yesterday.

Patrick Taran, a senior migrant specialist with the International Labour Organisation (IL0), said Ireland still had the opportunity “to get it right” and avoid the experiences of fellow EU member states.

He said countries such as France brought in large numbers of workers from north Africa and elsewhere to carry out essential work in the 1950s and 1960s but failed to put in place long term support arrangements.

“Countries that engaged large numbers of guest workers 40 years ago never anticipated that some of those workers and families would stay. They never put in place the policies to appropriately integrate them, ensure equal treatment for them and ensure they were not victims of discrimination.

“They didn’t ensure they were not left marginalised with high rates of unemployment as we see in countries like France, Britain, Germany and elsewhere. That kind of marginalisation builds resentment.”

Mr Taran was speaking on RTÉ radio before an ILO-sponsored conference in Dublin bringing together employers and trade unions from across Europe.

He said Ireland was at the beginning of the process of immigration and still had “the chance to do it right.”

He said the Anti-Racist Workplace Week, launched on Monday, was an attempt to bring together employers, unions and the Government to try and manage change and ensure that “resentment, marginalisation that has happened elsewhere doesn’t happen here.”

Mr Taran said France was not the only country to suffer the consequences of past actions.

“I would certainly say not only France, but if one looks a little earlier, three weeks ago in Birmingham or what happened in Germany a few years ago there are plenty of warnings, and the problem is they are not heeded.”

Meanwhile, an Irish support organisation for immigrants yesterday reported there had been a 72% increase in requests for help to its offices in the last 12 months.

The Immigrant Council of Ireland (OCI) was launching information leaflets on immigrant rights, which were paid for by the Department of Social Affairs.

The OCI said the average number or queries had jumped from 214 per month to 375 per month.

The greatest number of inquiries related to gaining longer term or permanent residence. The second highest query related to rights and entitlements to family life. The third highest query related to permission to work and workplace rights, including exploitation.

Last weekend, 13 Latvians, collecting periwinkles for an Irish skipper, had to be rescued off an island in stormy conditions.