Nuclear work permit rules eased

[Forties]

There is a story on the BBC web site, which says that

"The government is relaxing immigration rules for the nuclear power industry.
It means 27 categories of job can be filled by workers from anywhere in the world and comes as ministers say 60,000 jobs could be created in the industry.
The Home Office said adding the jobs to the "national shortage" list would help the UK get the "right skills".
But unions fear British workers could miss out, with the GMB saying it would be "tragic" if the new jobs went to people brought in "on the cheap". ..."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7444315.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7444315.stm)


What do other orgers think of this? Wouldn't it be better to use and if necessary train our own people (particularly from communities such as Caithness which have strong links to the industry) rather than just import workers and what about security implications?

[Alice in Blunderland]

There is a story on the BBC web site, which says that

"The government is relaxing immigration rules for the nuclear power industry.
It means 27 categories of job can be filled by workers from anywhere in the world and comes as ministers say 60,000 jobs could be created in the industry.
The Home Office said adding the jobs to the "national shortage" list would help the UK get the "right skills".
But unions fear British workers could miss out, with the GMB saying it would be "tragic" if the new jobs went to people brought in "on the cheap". ..."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7444315.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7444315.stm)


What do other orgers think of this? Wouldn't it be better to use and if necessary train our own people (particularly from communities such as Caithness which have strong links to the industry) rather than just import workers and what about security implications?

My first thought on this was thats if our workforce out there are willing to get of their backsids and train for this as lets face it many would rather sit back and lap up the benefits that are paid out for basically doing nothing but making out they are looking for work. ;)

My second thought is not all imported workers will be a security risk . :)

[scotsboy]

Well those Irish extraction who had collecting tins for the IRA in pubs in Cleator Moor were all "gainfully" employed at Sellafield during the "troubles" in Northern Ireland, and that was not pervceived as a security risk.

[Lord Flasheart]

Another great idea from Neu Arbeit.

In the midst of a security situation that has the threat coming in a large part from Immigrants from distant shores what does Cyclops do ?? .. makes it easier for them to work in Nuclear Installations.

Never mind eh ?? .. at least we are being diversive and multicultural.

[Solus]

kind of makes a mockery of what they are telling us regrding threats to security, the need for ID cards and cctv watching our every move ( all in the interests of naitonal security )

[Tony]

What do this government do when terrorists threaten our country? They open the flood gates and let every Tom, Dick or Harry come here legally or not and even if they catch them after sneaking in they allow them to stay.
Not against some foreign workers provided they are skilled in an area of a shortage and not of a group known or likely to undertake terrorist activity.
We should be tightening our borders and taking stock of who is actually here as other countries are doing like the U.S.
The Nuclear Industry work force should only contain vetted Nationals as Security as well as Safety should be priority.

[TBH]

Once again the old chestnut about doing the jobs lazy brits won't do is rolled out. It was an excuse for cheap foreign labour then and it's the same now.
Why don't all those businesses just tell the truth, they don't want a British workforce that has fought long and hard for pay and conditions worthy of their hard work. That's the truth of the matter and the sooner people realise that it's a crock of excrement and realise it before the time comes when they and their children have no job to go to the better.[disgust]

[Moi x]

What do other orgers think of this? Wouldn't it be better to use and if necessary train our own people (particularly from communities such as Caithness which have strong links to the industry) rather than just import workers and what about security implications?I am told the 'workers' we're talking about here are professional engineers and managers, together with skilled and experienced technicians, people with experience of building reactors who'll command high wages.

I gather that the UK nuclear industry currently employs 40,000 people but the plan is to increase this by 60,000 to 100,000 in a short period of time. It would be hard to recruit and train that many UK nationals quickly, let alone give them valuable on the job experience. The generation of British engineers that built the UK's reactors are either retired or have moved on to other industries and would be hard to lure back.

Apart from the French, no-one in the EU has any recent experience of reactor construction, the other main players are the USA, Canada, Japan, Russia, South Korea and South Africa. We don't have any indigenous reactor designs in the UK, let alone experience of building them.

Well, that's what my dad told me last week when I asked about his hopes for the future of the industry. After that, he talked incessantly about David Bowie for what seemed like an hour, even longer than it took for a perfectionist to paint her nails. :roll:

Moi x

[Tristan]

I am told the 'workers' we're talking about here are professional engineers and managers, together with skilled and experienced technicians, people with experience of building reactors who'll command high wages.

I gather that the UK nuclear industry currently employs 40,000 people but the plan is to increase this by 60,000 to 100,000 in a short period of time. It would be hard to recruit and train that many UK nationals quickly, let alone give them valuable on the job experience. The generation of British engineers that built the UK's reactors are either retired or have moved on to other industries and would be hard to lure back.

Apart from the French, no-one in the EU has any recent experience of reactor construction, the other main players are the USA, Canada, Japan, Russia, South Korea and South Africa. We don't have any indigenous reactor designs in the UK, let alone experience of building them.

Well, that's what my dad told me last week when I asked about his hopes for the future of the industry. After that, he talked incessantly about David Bowie for what seemed like an hour, even longer than it took for a perfectionist to paint her nails. :roll:

Moi x

The article is not very well written but does seem to confirm what you are saying. I never thought of physicists and engineers as people you could buy "on the cheap" but the catch phrase does help the unions whip up the mob mentality.

[scotsboy]

Once again the old chestnut about doing the jobs lazy brits won't do is rolled out. It was an excuse for cheap foreign labour then and it's the same now.
Why don't all those businesses just tell the truth, they don't want a British workforce that has fought long and hard for pay and conditions worthy of their hard work. That's the truth of the matter and the sooner people realise that it's a crock of excrement and realise it before the time comes when they and their children have no job to go to the better.[disgust]

The problem is that there are a sizeable minority who do not want to work (hard or otherwise).

[Alice in Blunderland]

The problem is that there are a sizeable minority who do not want to work (hard or otherwise).


Yes thats what I was thinking off when I wrote my reply :)

[Tony]

Yes thats what I was thinking off when I wrote my reply :)

Don't think that has anything to do with it.
Poeple have been leaving this area gradually for sometime now for better prospects, retirement etc etc. Graduates have not been interested in studying this type of work as Nuclear had no future and have chosen other areas of study. Why bother if all the sites are being decommisioned up and down the country. The Government have been dithering for too long so basically they are beginning to get in a panic and considering seeking foreign workers to try and fill the gap.

[Moi x]

I missed out an important word in my previous post...

"We don't have any indigenous third-generation reactor designs in the UK, let alone experience of building them."

We are going to buy reactor technology from abroad, so I don't think the government are getting in a panic at all. I'd rather have reactors built by people who know the designs and have some experience of building the things than by people who know the theory and think they've built it perfectly... Until they realise they've had the plans upside-down all along! :lol:

I not quite sure why I've been using the word 'we' because Alex Salmond insists there won't be any in Scotland. :confused

Moi x