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Opportunity: although the Games have opened up many jobs, there are concerns the workforce on Olympic sites is largely made up of migrants, not local long-term residents

Newham mayor says Olympic jobs must go to locals

Matthew Beard
29.04.09

The mayor of Newham today demanded more transparency over Olympic jobs amid concerns that local people were missing out on employment benefits of London 2012.

Sir Robin Wales accused Olympic chiefs of blocking his attempts to discover how many of the 4,101 Games workers are long-term residents of Newham. The borough has an unemployment rate above nine per cent. Figures published by the Olympic Delivery Authority today stated that 20 per cent of the workforce was "local" with a permanent address in one of the five host boroughs. But they omitted figures for foreign workers, who made up one third of the workforce at the last count.

Sir Robin said he could not be sure whether the "locals" were long-term residents learning new skills or migrant workers.

His intervention comes as a centre to train 10,000 people over five years in construction trades is opened in Newham today.

Sir Robin told the Standard: "If you come in and do the work and leave, that doesn't contribute to the borough or the community.

"I have to say [to the ODA] 'can I have the addresses of people who have been permanently resident here?'"

Concerns that jobs were going to migrant workers were underlined by the case of a Lithuanian man considered "local" even though he had recently arrived on site.

Reader views (25)

 Add your view

WAKE up people, they do not care about your complaints. Take action, you don't even have to get off your butts. Just cancel your SKY SPORTS over the olympic games period. I wonder if a country has ever boycotted it's own olympic's before. A nice historical moment for Lord coe.

- Alan Firman, Stanton Saint Bernard.

Lb, Bromley says cancel it now and spend the money on transport instead.... what a short-sighted view this is... does he or she think that all of the millions being spent on uprading the capacity of the DLR (almost doubling by 2012), or the improvements to the Central Line and Jubilee Line (1 train every 60 seconds on the Jubilee by the time work is finished) and the introduction of the Javellin high speed rail link would happen were it not for the Olympics? What about the massive private Stratford City development which is already employing 1000s and when finished will provide housing, offices and London's biggest shopping centre on the edge of the Olympic park - does he or she think this would all be happening if we cancelled the Olympics?? What nonsense! Expensive, yes, but the 2012 games are already providing huge benefits and exciting opportunities to the people of London (especially in East London where, let's face it, any investment is much needed). Would you prefer the Olympic site went back to being a toxic dump and local unemployment stayed high for ever??? 'Bashing the Olympics' seems to have become a bandwagon unto itself... I do wish people would consider the facts before resorting to lazy finger pointing though...

- Mary, Bethnal Green, London

Jobs for locals? Don't make me laugh! That's what
was said about the Millenium Dome - look what happened
to that. The Olympics are a total waste of money, just
to satisfy a bunch of arrogant, pompous, has-been
sport 'stars' and politicians.

Scrap the whole project now and use what remains of
the money to upgrade the Tube and train structure, or
recruit more police etc.

- Lb, Bromley

If you want the whole world to view the people of Britain to be a total bunch of losers, cancel the games. Are we forgetting the world media is looking on? this is the biggest event in the world, we can either use it as the only thing that can possibly make a difference to the situation we are in or mess the whole thing up. Besides if you really thought about it instead of just talking nonsense you would know you can't cancel the Olympics.

- Bailey, London

I find it unbelievable that there is not as much support for local workers that are 'long term' residents of Newham/London. I am shocked that in the middle of such a dire economic downturn, we are not looking to safeguard the jobs of Londoners, who do have a vested interest in the legacy of the games to London. The agencies that are bringing in migrant workers are profitting without any social conscience. This is utter madness. Sack the council chief if he cannot represent his constituents NOW!

- Vik, London

Why has no one got a good word to say about a prestigeous event such as these games? British people are always too quick to be critical and not one of you have your facts straight or rather perhaps you have, straight out of the Daily Mail.

- Brenda, London, UK

From a neutral viewpoint the facilities look to be progressing very well and to have an Olympic Games you do need stadiums/pools/arenas to be completed on time. The cost was always going to be underestimated (all UK projects run over budget) but as a country we do need to complete all venues ahead of time to 'bed them in'. Who builds them is immaterial. What we do not need is the British Trade Union movment deciding who will do what and when and the rate for the job !! We have all witnessed what happens when they put their oar in.

- Nick Holland, glasgow

A bit rich of old Sir Robin to call for the olympic jobs to go to locals when his council have for years put outsiders before local residents for housing,jobs on the council etc. Ask anyone who originated in Newham.

- Russell, London

Newham locals have no chance; this government has already given all the jobs to Australian contractors. So much for supporting our own industries!

- Paul, London

Most of the foreign workers at Olympic City are recruited through an agency in Australia known as "WorkAway". Outside of the British jurisdiction they can advertise for who they want without fear of criticism regarding discrimination. What is even worse is that they are given their NHS number before coming to Britain and in most cases even have a B&B address in one of the qualifying boroughs of London. The whole issue is disgraceful and those in the UK colluding with the Aussies should be Named and Shamed and locked up in the Tower of London.

- Dudley Piggott, Tbilisi, Georgia

I get seriously annoyed at people slagging off the east end and the people who live there. Ever lived there? ever tried to find work there? Ever even been there?

The level of unemployment is nothing to do with laziness. The docks were closed and offices built. The factories were closed and offices and 'affordable' housing built. No more work unless your a pen-pushing middle-class wannabe. No housing unless you earn much more than the average wage in the area.

It's called 'gentrifaction', push out the workers and bring in the money. Witness Islington, working class until a few decades ago.

Lay off the east end unless you have something constructive to say.

- Torc, London UK

When I was a London Assembly member, and trying to hold the Olympic Delivery Authority to account, it was made quite clear to me by all involved on the Olympic project that we are barred by EU law from preferring either "local" firms or people. As the EU reminded Germany when it attempted to protect "local" motor trade jobs "Local is the European Union". And what is the point of endlessly debating this when we are barred by EU law from doing it - particularly if no-one ever mentions the fact in stories or complaints that it is the EU which makes the laws in this and we must - on pain of unlimited fines - enforce the EU laws. Are we being incited to break the law?

- Damian Hockney, London, UK

20% thats one in five. You can virtually say no Londoners, that is true cockneys, work on the Olympic site.

Londoners are merely paying for it for the next twenty years

- Alan Green, Woodford Green

Scrap in NOW PLEASE

- Mike, London England

Steve - my husband is "local" and is working on the site - he is doing a hard day's work for, what I consider, not a decent day's pay.

I do believe that the local boroughs should have priority, but then it's easy to rent a room - there should be some proof that they have lived in the borough for a certain length of time prior to contract commencement - e.g. a year or so.

- Sandra, London

About the same percentage of people working in london who are londoners.In Newham they probably wouldn't be bothered to go to work unless it pays more than they get on benefit, which I doubt it would.

- Rosie, watford

None of the 'locals' have a days work in them!

- Steve, London

I have two degrees, numerous professional accreditations and have worked for some of the most prestigious companies in the world and even today have never been unemployed. Tired of travelling I thought it would make a pleasant change to work locally and as such contacted a number of the Olympics organisations incl the ODA offering myself as a local resident. Not one response, not even an acknowledgment! In the real world someone should have their arse kicked for their lack of professionalism and not spotting an opportunity . I sincerely believe that these companies have no intention whatsoever of employing local people and are following the same old friends and cheapest labour lines they would follow regardless of where they happen to be building. I'm not that desperate to work for them but did see it as something interesting and an opportunity for both parties but hey ho, I should have known better.

- Mary, Leyton

The simple fact is that migrant workers tend to be harder working, and do a better job than many of the home grown variety, who tend to be lazy, incompetent and dishonest. just remember how terrible experience getting work done on one's home was before the eastern europeans started to arrive. They're not here taking our jobs, they're here doing them. If it was left to the locals, the Olympic park would never be built!

- Aidan Reid, london, uk

Ironic isn't it. Newham is a safe labour seat - very safe indeed. They'd elect Hitler if he was the Labour candidate. Yet these are the very people who Jowell and the Olympic Destruction Agency are currently 'having over'. There will be virtually no jobs for real locals. Since they have re-defined a 'local' as any person from anywhere on the planet who can produce a Newham address (however transitory).
It's no good Wales & Newham complaining about this as these are the fools you lot voted for - Viva Ken?
So you Newham residents get no extra jobs , have to pay shed loads of tax for the Olympics (for many years) and will suffer constant disruption and noise from the construction and three weeks of traffic chaos during the event. But you do end up with some stadia and jerry (or should that be Jerzy?) built houses. Lose factories and jobs, allotments and have to provide travellers with free luxury bungalows.
Do you think it's going all to be worth it then?
Hope it works out for you - I'm so VERY glad I moved out of Newham!

- Ethan, UK

I'm still very confused as to why they are holding an international event in what looks like a building site. I've never been to Stratford as it is in the east end which I hear is a very poor area with high crime, so what on earth did the Government think they would achieve by having it in such a dangerous place in London?

- Kimberley, London

Boris said he would cancel these Games during the election, why hasn't he?

- Frankie, London

This is such a mess: no jobs are going to English builders, these are all going to foreign workers. Just look at all big projects in the captial/England and what have you? people going on strike as foreign workers take the bread and butter of english people.

- Dec, London

Sack Jowell and Coe and cancel this debacle. The cost has already spiralled out of control and, to add insult to injury, Tessa Jowell misunderestimated the cost of the recent refurbishment of her office by thousands of pounds - who could have confidence in her capability of handling £3billion of tax payers' money?

- R.F., Yorks, UK

To late most have already gone. Simply answer is to scrap whole white elephant fiasco now rather than find a number of new £billion black holes to further increase the ever increasing cost. Already UK is broke and its us, our children and their Children who will end up paying for the damage.

- Mike, London England


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