Labour Party clarifies its stance on migration

THE Labour Party yesterday set in stone its controversial stance on migration with a policy document calling for restricted access to the Irish labour market for accession workers if necessary.

Rather than an employment free-for-all, the Labour Party wants to defend standards and prevent employers bringing in workers at below the going rate.

Labour leader Pat Rabbitte said the dispute involving Turkish Gama workers and the Irish Ferries strike were not unique in Ireland and there was anecdotal evidence of exploitation across the country.

Launching the document in Dublin yesterday, Mr Rabbitte was careful to welcome all the benefits that migrant workers bring.

But if it is found that Irish jobs are being undermined to any great degree through the continued exploitation of migrant workers, Labour would consider restricting access even to accession workers from the enlarged EU through a green card system.

The policy also called for measures to tackle bogus subcontracting and for ; more and better-resourced labour inspectors.