Natives and immigrants alike are exploited by minimum wage employers

I BELIEVE some of the remarks made by Integration Minister Conor Lenihan at a recent symposium in Wicklow were divorced from reality as far as many Irish citizens are concerned.

He preened himself on the success of the so-called ‘immigration project’ which has supposedly earned Ireland the admiration of the rest of the world.

While it is good to have newcomers who want to contribute to our society, does the minister envisage an ‘Irish citizen project’ in which all hard-working natives are assured decent work and a home of their own?

Is he not aware that many employers actively discriminate against Irish people willing to work for the minimum wage and exploit immigrants in the process?

Mr Lenihan seems happy with a situation in which many Irish people are virtual nonentities in their own country.

I worked in London during the early 1990s and I can tell you that neither I nor thousands like me received red carpet treatment.

We did not cost Britain a penny. We suffered some racist remarks and were poorly paid, but we made our own way and were not facilitated in approaching equality authorities.

Dr Florence Craven

Maynooth

Co Kildare