BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

02/08/2006

Poland opens door to Ukraine, Belarusian workers

Poland is easing its labor market rules to let more workers from non-EU Ukraine and Belarus seek legal employment here.

Krysia Kolosowska

Polish-Ukrainian border crossing points are bursting at the seams, especially in the summer, when thousands of seasonal workers are flocking to Poland. But few will tell you the real aim of their journey.

The majority arrive here on a tourist visa, which is valid for three months, seeking employment without any permits. Now, Poland's foreign ministry has announced that it wants to enable more Ukrainians to work legally in this country. In the first stage, the Polish labor market will be opened to seasonal farm workers. This is a response to signals from Polish farmers who are plagued by shortage of labor.

The labor ministry plans to lift work permits as of September. In the next stage, other labor market sectors are to be opened to Ukrainian workers, including skilled ones.

Halyna Pastuszuk, our correspondent in Lviv, is glad the Polish government is taking such steps.

"It's great news, because many Ukrainians are looking for jobs in Poland. For example my friends, who are teachers of English, have found employment there but the majority of people have problems in finding legal employment and prefer to work illegally. But then they do not feel a part of Polish reality. So, I think this will bring the two countries closer together."

Dmitri Hurnevich, a Belarusian journalist, praises Warsaw's decision which, he believes, will enable more Belarusians to experience a different lifestyle and culture than in Belarus ruled by the Lukashenko regime.

"My friends would like to go to Poland to work but not for money. They just want to know a new country, new culture and new language."

Every year around 3 thousand Ukrainians are granted work permits in Poland. Dozens of thousands work illegally, because obtaining the permit is an uphill struggle. The Main Statistical Office says that anything between 25,000 to 100,000 foreigners work in the black economy. This means that as many people could be legally absorbed by Poland's labor market.

Jakub Boratynski, eastern studies expert at the Stefan Batory Foundation in Warsaw, says it is high time that steps be taken to enable Ukrainians and Belarussians to take up legal employment in Poland.

"It's a positive move, it's a reflection of genuine market needs in Poland as well as of the interests of Ukrainian citizens. However, the devil is in details. It has to be done in such a manner that it would be really convenient both for the employers and the Ukrainian workers to actually register this employment."

Many Polish employers are looking forward to the liberalization of the labor market. Even without it schools often employ Ukrainian English language teachers while shipyards welcome skilled Ukrainian welders. Liberalization would benefit such sectors as construction and house cleaning.

Source:

http://www.polskieradio.pl/polonia/article.asp?tId=40015&j=2

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