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2012 Olympic chiefs advertise for workers in Australia
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor3 Feb 2009
FRESH fears over overseas workers surfaced today as it emerged that Olympics jobs with salaries of up to £65,000 are being advertised in Australia.
Just a day after the Standard revealed that foreign staff made up nearly 30 per cent of the workers on the 2012 site in Stratford, one Sydney company was highlighting the opportunities for well-paid posts.
Workgateways, which assists travellers from all over the world to get jobs in the UK, is advertising vacancies for handymen to landscape architects to work on the £9.3 billion Olympic park.
The jobs listed with the Sydney firm include a landscape leader to design projects for the Olympic Delivery Authority on a salary of £60,000 to £65,000, plus bonus and benefits.
Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that 29 per cent of the 3,046 workers on the site in December were from overseas. Eight per cent were Irish, and about 15 per cent from outside the EU. Romanians were until last year the largest foreign group, but many have been "quietly sacked" in the past two months during a clampdown on workers without visas.
The ODA claims that many of its foreign workers have lived in the local area for a number of years, even though they don't hold a British passport. Gordon Brown has claimed that the project is an important "growth generator".
Reader views (12)
as an unemployed auto industry worker,i can understand the
frustration of workers seeing their jobs being dolled out to "outsiders".
i agree with R.F.that the gravy must stop.the olimpics may be a global event,but surely the host nation should be at
the least awarding employment to their own.
- Taylor, grand rapids,mi,usa, 05/02/2009 14:52
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As a British citizen living in London i am finding impossible to get a job despite the fact of me being a fully qualified skilled trader. The government is simply doing nothing about a growing problem of British jobs given to others. Job-centre got no vacancies related to Olympics,and employment agencies are simply not interested in recruiting British workers.
Our government is clearly not willing to talk to employers about this so definitely they have lost our faith.
- Pellumb, London, 04/02/2009 14:33
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Is this an extension of the prisoner plans?
- Steve, Guildford, 04/02/2009 12:47
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So long as the buildings are ready on time and fit for purpose does it matter where the builders come from really?
- Mark, Watford, 03/02/2009 18:13
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I see nothing wrong in advertising for skilled workers from Australia as long as the same jobs are also advertised in UK.
- Patrick Griffin, Dalston, London, 03/02/2009 17:00
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What's the graffiti with olympic rings in the headline?
- Thorrun, Brentwood UK, 03/02/2009 16:57
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I seem to remember several high profile British architects and engineers were involved in the building of Sydney's facilities for the 2000 Games. Of course, when it's British workers in a foreign country, it's called 'exporting the UK's finest talent'. Should the opposite dare to happen, as tends to in this globalised economy, it's known as 'bloody immigrants stealing our jobs'.
The complainers are attacking the wrong people. Surely if the ODA have to advertise for the skills they need in Australia, they must be lacking in the UK. Complain about the Government not helping pull people up to this standard via training and adult education - not the companies themselves who need to get the work done to a price and to a deadline.
- Darren, London, 03/02/2009 16:15
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What is it with us constantly looking to the Foreigners for help. This is GREAT Britain and we can manage. Things just seem to be getting from bad to worse! And Al, in Australia, however dated you may think our symbol may look, we love it! It's British and we're proud!
- Sonny, London, 03/02/2009 16:00
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Guys, what is with your Olympics symbol (above)?
The event hasnt even passed & it already looks dated!
- Al, Australia, 03/02/2009 15:36
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its not only the olympic site that is using foriegn labour, most of the building sites in london have a larger majority of foriegn workers than british workers, i am an electrician and out of work at the moment and through the phone calls that i have made to people in the trade it seems that we are being priced out of work, because they work for far less, something needs to be done....
- J.F., london, 03/02/2009 15:11
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It'll be Wembley all over again. Remember Multiplex the Australian company which built Wembley, what a fiasco.
- Pat, Essex, 03/02/2009 14:49
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This is OUTRAGEOUS. We have thousands of landscape gardeners in this country - why advertise in Australia? And £60,000 - £65,000 per annum!!! This olympic gravy train must be STOPPED. Our country is bankrupt, unemployment rising, homes being re-possessed and still they continue to throw billions of pounds at an event which the majority of the tax payers did not want yet will be made to pay for it for decades. This surely must be the final insult to Londoners
- R.F., Yorks, UK, 03/02/2009 13:44
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