Foreign staff who say no to benefits

Immigrant workers believe just as much as many people in Britain that benefits for new arrivals should be stopped.

Businesses and the health service say they would be lost without an army of foreign labour prepared to do the jobs that young people here either will not do or are simply not capable of.

And in some cases, such as in nursing, there is not enough funding being made available to train British workers.

The right attitude towards customers and a strong work ethic have all helped workers from other European countries to find work.

The Express & Star has spoken with a group of Latvian workers at a builders' merchants in Wolverhampton, all of whom have lived in the city for a decade.

And they all agree with a current government plan to curb benefits for new arrivals, believing that it is only right that immigrants do as they have done and come to Britain to work.

As the Express & Star continues its investigation into immigration, we reveal today that there are thousands of young British people who want to become nurses, but hospitals will be recruiting workers from overseas instead.

New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton is looking for nurses from India, the Philippines and China because of a shortage in the UK.

It is prepared to spend £3.6 million on getting 170 new staff over the course of 2014 because there just are not enough qualified nurses here.

The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust is turning to Europe in its latest search for qualified nurses.

A recent recruitment drive to take on 18 new nurses at Russells Hall Hospital led to just one appointment.

It is not as though there are not enough young people wanting to be nurses. The University of Wolverhampton gets 4,000 applicants a year for 360 places, and the NHS will not let it take on any more because of the cost.

Clare Corness-Parr, head of adult nursing at the University of Wolverhampton, said: "The government has to balance the books. It's always a difficult one."

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said: "How on Earth have we got here?

"Training has been in reverse for the past three years. And now we're in a situation where hospitals are having to recruit from abroad.

"People from overseas have always contributed to the NHS.

"But there are local young people who would have welcomed the chance to train.

"But this is what happens when you spend £3 billion on a re-organisation of the NHS."

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt has promised to hire another 3,700 nurses all over the country.

Meanwhile bosses of private businesses find there are benefits to having some foreign workers.

Henry Carver, who runs Wolverhampton based Carvers Building Supplies has more than 200 staff. Around nine out of 10 of them are British. But the rest have come from places like Latvia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Nonetheless, his foreign workforce is half what it was a few years ago, before the recession resulted in a drop in recruitment. A new wave of apprenticeships has also made British workers more attractive.

"We have struggled in the past to get young UK people who are work-ready," Mr Carver says.

"The problem has been you can get English people who perhaps don't like Mondays or they like one drink too many on a Thursday evening - they aren't work ready.

"A foreign worker may not have many qualifications but they are ready and willing to work.

"They believe in a fair day's work for a fair day's pay."

He said people arguing that there was a skill shortage among British workers were getting it wrong.

"It will be the case that hospitals recruiting nurses will be doing so because of a lack of skilled workers.

"But in the vast majority of cases foreign workers are particularly attractive because of a positive attitude and a sense of loyalty to a company that pays them well."

Things are changing, however, thanks to a revival in demand for apprenticeships.

Mr Carver says the system, which allows a business to pay a younger worker £2.68 an hour rather than the national minimum wage of £5.03 for an 18 to 20 year-old, makes it more worthwhile for the employer to take on a British youth.

"We've come down in numbers of foreign workers because of the growth in apprenticeships," he said.

"It means you don't have to pay an 18-year-old the full minimum wage for a year while you are training him."

He is also full of praise for the 15 foreign workers he employs.

They include Ieva Blumberga, who taught English in Latvia before seeking a job in Britain.

The 43-year-old said: "I've been here for nine years. It's much better money even on minimum wage that we would get in Latvia."

Ieva, who lodges with a family in Penn, has followed the recent debate around curbing benefits for migrants.

"If someone comes here to claim benefits then that's wrong."

Olga Silajeva, aged 35, agrees. She left her job in a supermarket in Riga, Latvia, 10 years ago and is now a British citizen.

"I have never claimed benefits in my life," she said. "This country has been good to me. I live in Low Hill with my husband. We own our house with a mortgage.

"Some people will see the country as a place where they can claim benefits they would not get in their own countries.

"That should not be allowed."

Olga said she has always found Wolverhampton to be a welcoming place, including when she first arrived and her English was not as good as it is now.

Her colleague Aldis Garokalns, aged 49, agrees.

He came to Wolverhampton looking for a fresh start 10 years ago.

"We're hardworking people who want to earn a living and pay our tax.

"I know there will be people who think they can just claim benefits. And I think there should be a rule that stops you doing that unless you've been working here for a long time first.

"I like it here. It's safe," he said. "Sometimes people ask where I'm from but they're just interested."