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| In search of Europe: Poland | In search of Europe: Poland |
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| Ambitious Poles see EU enlargement as an opportunity, not a threat, the BBC's Jonny Dymond reports, as he tours the continent ahead of next month's European elections. | Ambitious Poles see EU enlargement as an opportunity, not a threat, the BBC's Jonny Dymond reports, as he tours the continent ahead of next month's European elections. |
| On the ferry between the UK and Sweden I ran into one of the truck drivers making the crossing. He was, he said, earning £14 an hour for his trips. But he was being undercut by Polish drivers who would work for £7 an hour. What was he to do? | On the ferry between the UK and Sweden I ran into one of the truck drivers making the crossing. He was, he said, earning £14 an hour for his trips. But he was being undercut by Polish drivers who would work for £7 an hour. What was he to do? |
| JONNY DYMOND I'm Jonny Dymond and I've said goodbye to the BBC Brussels bureau for the next few weeks. I'll be taking the temperature in nine EU member states before the European Parliament elections on 4-7 June. I'm going to ask voters what they think of the EU and what their priorities are. Join me on the trip! Jonny Dymond's route map Your comments | JONNY DYMOND I'm Jonny Dymond and I've said goodbye to the BBC Brussels bureau for the next few weeks. I'll be taking the temperature in nine EU member states before the European Parliament elections on 4-7 June. I'm going to ask voters what they think of the EU and what their priorities are. Join me on the trip! Jonny Dymond's route map Your comments |
| His plight was one of the reasons to be in Bialystok, northeastern Poland, headquarters of Adampol, one of the country's biggest transport companies. | His plight was one of the reasons to be in Bialystok, northeastern Poland, headquarters of Adampol, one of the country's biggest transport companies. |
| Adampol shifts new cars around Europe and out to the East - through Belarus and Ukraine and out into Russia. | Adampol shifts new cars around Europe and out to the East - through Belarus and Ukraine and out into Russia. |
| The company has been around since 1990. But it was in May 2004, when Poland joined the EU and the border control came down, that the company boomed. | The company has been around since 1990. But it was in May 2004, when Poland joined the EU and the border control came down, that the company boomed. |
| "It's like explaining to a blind man what the day looks like," says the company's ebullient boss, Adam Byglewski, as he tries to illustrate how life changed after Poland's accession to the EU. | "It's like explaining to a blind man what the day looks like," says the company's ebullient boss, Adam Byglewski, as he tries to illustrate how life changed after Poland's accession to the EU. |
| The opening of borders boosted business for Adam Byglewski | The opening of borders boosted business for Adam Byglewski |
| "It was like someone waved a magic wand - not only that the queues disappeared but that we could drive to Lithuania, to Germany, to the Czech Republic or Slovakia. Overnight, queues of two three or four days just disappeared." | "It was like someone waved a magic wand - not only that the queues disappeared but that we could drive to Lithuania, to Germany, to the Czech Republic or Slovakia. Overnight, queues of two three or four days just disappeared." |
| So what would he say to the trucker on - a rough exchange - 17 euros an hour, threatened by a driver who'll do the job for nine euros? | So what would he say to the trucker on - a rough exchange - 17 euros an hour, threatened by a driver who'll do the job for nine euros? |
| "Perhaps we can't expect an English or a Polish driver to understand," he says. "Perhaps we should just say that in a while that Polish driver will head home and he'll earn an 17 euros hour, and [the British trucker] may be earning 19 euros or get back to 17 euros. I don't know. I haven't got an easy answer." | "Perhaps we can't expect an English or a Polish driver to understand," he says. "Perhaps we should just say that in a while that Polish driver will head home and he'll earn an 17 euros hour, and [the British trucker] may be earning 19 euros or get back to 17 euros. I don't know. I haven't got an easy answer." |
| As many as 2.5 million Poles may have left Poland in the past five years to find jobs abroad, there are no decent statistics. | As many as 2.5 million Poles may have left Poland in the past five years to find jobs abroad, there are no decent statistics. |
| The movement of people - the speed and scale of which can only be compared in Europe to the end of World War II - distorted the country's economy, leaving it short of everything from labourers to teachers to doctors. | The movement of people - the speed and scale of which can only be compared in Europe to the end of World War II - distorted the country's economy, leaving it short of everything from labourers to teachers to doctors. |
| Tales of two-year waiting lists for plumbing jobs are legion. | Tales of two-year waiting lists for plumbing jobs are legion. |
| The exodus also slowed internal reform. When all the people with get up and go have got up and gone, there is less pressure to change the pace of regulatory bureaucracies. | The exodus also slowed internal reform. When all the people with get up and go have got up and gone, there is less pressure to change the pace of regulatory bureaucracies. |
| Dobrawa Piekos has put skills learnt in the UK to good use back home | Dobrawa Piekos has put skills learnt in the UK to good use back home |
| But people are coming back to Poland with new skills learnt in foreign capitals. | But people are coming back to Poland with new skills learnt in foreign capitals. |
| In a high-ceilinged apartment in central Warsaw, Dobrawa Piekos blow-dries a customer's hair. She spent three years learning her trade in London and has now set up a high-end salon that employs eight. | In a high-ceilinged apartment in central Warsaw, Dobrawa Piekos blow-dries a customer's hair. She spent three years learning her trade in London and has now set up a high-end salon that employs eight. |
| Dobrawa's House of Hair is a funky outfit, with fake zebra skin wall coverings and bright red chairs facing tall mirrors. | Dobrawa's House of Hair is a funky outfit, with fake zebra skin wall coverings and bright red chairs facing tall mirrors. |
| I ask Dobrawa what she makes of the complaints about the number of Poles in Britain - and the call for "British jobs for British workers". | I ask Dobrawa what she makes of the complaints about the number of Poles in Britain - and the call for "British jobs for British workers". |
| "British people, I've got nothing against them, but I do think that they don't respect jobs," she says. "They are too fussy. They would love to be put on a high position and get good money for less hours and everything. In my country, everything that we have is made by hard work." | "British people, I've got nothing against them, but I do think that they don't respect jobs," she says. "They are too fussy. They would love to be put on a high position and get good money for less hours and everything. In my country, everything that we have is made by hard work." |
| The trucker on the ferry didn't fit that description of a work-shy Brit. But it's something you hear from a fair few foreigners who have worked in London. | The trucker on the ferry didn't fit that description of a work-shy Brit. But it's something you hear from a fair few foreigners who have worked in London. |
| Jonny Dymond in Poland: "Nobody appears to give much of a damn about the vote coming up" | Jonny Dymond in Poland: "Nobody appears to give much of a damn about the vote coming up" |
| There is of course another side to the coming and going of Polish workers over the past few years. People like Dobrawa Piekos come back not just with cash saved, but with new skills too, that builds an economy back in Poland. | There is of course another side to the coming and going of Polish workers over the past few years. People like Dobrawa Piekos come back not just with cash saved, but with new skills too, that builds an economy back in Poland. |
| Mateusz Matula and Jacek Mlodawski spent time working and saving in Ireland before they came back to found an internet business. It now ships contact lenses around the country. | Mateusz Matula and Jacek Mlodawski spent time working and saving in Ireland before they came back to found an internet business. It now ships contact lenses around the country. |
| Almost drowning in the cardboard boxes that only recently contained the PCs that litter their office building, they talk about how the Poles that have fled will return. | Almost drowning in the cardboard boxes that only recently contained the PCs that litter their office building, they talk about how the Poles that have fled will return. |
| "What can I say to British people," Mateusz laughs. "Don't worry, it's just temporary. And if Poland as a country will grow it will good for Britain as well. | "What can I say to British people," Mateusz laughs. "Don't worry, it's just temporary. And if Poland as a country will grow it will good for Britain as well. |
| "We will be good a market for British products. Nowadays we can't afford British products. It's too expensive for us." | "We will be good a market for British products. Nowadays we can't afford British products. It's too expensive for us." |
| So will there come a time when British people might come to Poland in search of work? | So will there come a time when British people might come to Poland in search of work? |
| "Maybe it will be possible in the future," says Jacek. "But I think it will be ten years or twenty. With every step people in Poland have problems with tax officials, with the inspection of labour, so it is not so easy to start a business here." | "Maybe it will be possible in the future," says Jacek. "But I think it will be ten years or twenty. With every step people in Poland have problems with tax officials, with the inspection of labour, so it is not so easy to start a business here." |
| "But I believe that the situation may change." | "But I believe that the situation may change." |
| No topic has come up more often on the European "campaign trail" than this one: the growing pains of enlargement are wrenching ones, for both "donor" countries like Poland and recipients like Britain and Ireland. | No topic has come up more often on the European "campaign trail" than this one: the growing pains of enlargement are wrenching ones, for both "donor" countries like Poland and recipients like Britain and Ireland. |
| Some would argue that the "big bang" approach was not such a smart one, given the huge disparity in living standards between East and West, and the rise of cheap travel. | Some would argue that the "big bang" approach was not such a smart one, given the huge disparity in living standards between East and West, and the rise of cheap travel. |
| The Poles I've spoken to would disagree. It has liberated them, and allowed them to kick-start businesses back in the home country. | The Poles I've spoken to would disagree. It has liberated them, and allowed them to kick-start businesses back in the home country. |
| But I still can't think of a smart answer to the trucker I met. | But I still can't think of a smart answer to the trucker I met. |
| In search of Europe: Latvia | In search of Europe: Latvia |
| In search of Europe: Sweden | In search of Europe: Sweden |
| In search of Europe: UK | In search of Europe: UK |
| In search of Europe: Ireland | In search of Europe: Ireland |
| In search of Europe: France | In search of Europe: France |
| 4 May - France8 May - Ireland12 May - UK 16 May - Sweden21 May - Latvia25 May - Poland 29 May - Austria2 June - Italy5 June - Germany | 4 May - France8 May - Ireland12 May - UK 16 May - Sweden21 May - Latvia25 May - Poland 29 May - Austria2 June - Italy5 June - Germany |
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| Send us your comments on Jonny's feature and any questions for him using the form at the bottom: | |
| I live and work in Poland, and I am a British national. Yes the pay is poorer than the UK, but everything is relative, food and beer is cheaper but houses and cars are on a par with Scotland, maybe not London. Therefore should I be regarded as a Brit taking a Polish person's job? One has to remember that there is a large number of British expats all over the world, therefore it is my opinion that jobs are not a divine right in your own country, you have to work hard and look hard to get a job, no one should expect a greater salary because they are British. Graeme Stewart, Warsaw - Poland | |
| Interesting article. I have been a great EU supporter since we went in. Of course then you had to meet certain (high) economic standards to join. I can't help now feeling a chill wind as the more prosperous members are required to fund more & more members like Poland, Romania etc. to the affluent position Eire, Spain et al reached. They say it will benefit us all, well all I have seen in 30 plus years is benefit to everyone else, and it's now wearing thin.dan d lyon, behind the wire | |
| It is not true that 2,5 million Poles left the country. Where did this poor author find such statistics? It might be (though it is hardly believable) that this number of people took some jobs abroad, but even if they did so, migration is temporary - people go and come back. And in the meantime they do work down here, they do use their social benefits, and they do have a life. | |
| Second, it is not true that Poland suffers from shortages of labour. Last month's unemployment report spoke of some 11% jobless rate. Two months waiting for a plumber can only happen in author's imagination. | |
| Third, there IS a smart answer to that trucker driver out there: try harder man, and stop crying. Poles are competitive because they can actually do the job, not just because they are cheap. jan kowalski, Warsaw, Poland | |
| I would like to express my concerns about the "British jobs for British people" slogan that I have recently seen in the streets of London. | |
| I understand the campaign was created as a response to the impact of recession, but I would like to remind the British that the capitalist system was created and largely propagated by the Anglo-Saxon nations of the world. | |
| I consider extremely frustrating (and ridiculous) that the British are now blaming the immigrants for the negative consequences of a policy that they have defended for years. Marcos Menezes, London | |
| The trucker is only part of the problem. Foreign workers take about 75% of their earnings home, they put a strain on public services and are willing to work for less. British people have worked for decades for their rights and salaries. | |
| Everyday I listen to British people complaining about this. One day the workers will actually do something about these problems, I hope, like rebel or something.Susan Strong, Hereford | |
| From an economic point of view (and ignoring linguistic and cultural difference) your British trucker should move to live in Bialystok, where his lower Polish salary might afford a higher standard of living than he currently enjoys in Britain. That would be a challenging option, but possible and perfectly legitimate. | |
| I am a Brit who has moved to Poland in search of work. Initially I worked as a language teacher, but now I've learnt to speak Polish and look after myself here, I'm looking for work with a local employer as an accountant. | |
| Since the recession is less severe in Poland than the UK, I'm fairly convinced I'll succeed in the end. I think that Poland has very good prospects now it's joined the EU, and I see that as an opportunity for me too. | |
| However it is hard to convince Polish employers to trust a foreign worker. Inferiority and persecution complexes run deep in the Polish psyche. They'll take time to lift. | |
| The Poles that speak to foreign media aren't necessarily typical. Many people here find it hard to understand foreigners. There's a tendency to think that a Brit who's left the gold-paved streets of the UK must be crazy or a loser. That prejudice is unwarranted and unfair, but it's real nonetheless.Christopher Chadwick, Warsaw, Poland | |
| Why should a lorry driver earn £14 per hour? It's a low-skilled job requiring no higher education. The vicinity of minimum wage sounds far more reasonable for that type of work. If lorry drivers earn £14ph, then no wonder that everything in the UK is far too expensive. The sooner he is undercut and put out of business by less arrogant and demanding drivers, the better for the rest of us.Robert, Pontypridd, UK | |
| The Poles have got it spot on. The work ethic of the UK is quite frankly pathetic. People want a nice cushy job, where they can engage as little brain and energy as possible for the most amount of money. | |
| Which is why there is all this fear-mongering going on back home. There's no mention in this debate over the EU that the UK gets 3 million jobs from EU Membership, and that the sovereignty we lose to the Commission and the ECJ are only over very stringent economic issues that we reluctantly grant the EU competency over. It's called subsidiarity. The principle is alive and well, and so is the EU. | |
| Shame on Labour for devaluing the EU in the eyes of the British public. And shame on the British public for embracing the blind, dogmatic rhetoric of UKIP. | |
| In case you haven't realised folks, the Empire is gone, and we are America's poodle, presiding over an Anglo-American economic system that is broken and inefficient. Our salvation lies in being a strong, prominent and leading player within the European Union. Yes the EU has its major problems, but you can only change things from the inside. | |
| We get a superb deal being in the EU. All the other member states know this, so why can't our bone-headed population get their heads round it!Matt, London/Vienna, UK/Austria | |
| This article omits the amazing fact that Poland has avoided recession and has the highest GDP growth in the EU, mainly because its banking sector is relatively old-fashioned, small and risk-averse. Profit from the country's massive new export market in the EU is also keeping Poland out of recession. Politically, unlike CEE peers, the Poles have also matured: both the nationalists and ex-communists are are a thing of the past. Now a responsible, free market and pro-EU government is doing a good and popular job to the envy of western European peers. Peter Hawkins, London, England | |
| Next time you come to Poland, stay a bit longer. Your mention of two-year queues for plumbers and the "huge disparity in living standards between east and west" doesn't sound like the Poland I've been living in for the past decade as an ex-pat Brit. Also, starting a business here is easier than in most EU countries. It took me about three days. On the other hand, you can wait years for planning/building permission. I was very lucky to wait only seven months. Anyway, next time you're in Bialystok, join me for szarlotka and kava in Wedel's.Peter, | |
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