Government puts bosses on the spot
Portugal’s government has turned the tables on employers constantly complaining that the country needs more immigrant labour.
Its message is: “we will accelerate visas if you provide accommodation and essential training”.
As reports this morning explain, the objective is to get employers to put their money where their mouths currently are: take responsibility for the situation, and put improvements into place that allow for the arrival of more immigrants, in dignified conditions.
Anything less, and the issues of ‘overcrowding in precarious accommodation’, exploitation and even human trafficking, will simply persist.
Expresso has broken the story, explaining that the government wants to “positively discriminate” businesses that take responsibility in this way.
If they comply with the government’s requirements, they will be afforded a ‘fast track’ when it comes to hiring immigrants, with documents assured within 20 days.
If they do not wish to provide accommodation, training and dignified conditions to secure labour, then they will have to wait their turn – and the expediting of necessary documents could take “several months”.
According to Expresso, this was the nuts-and-bolts of the scheme already presented to employers, for their consideration. Whether or not they accept it remains to be seen. There will be further meetings in the New Year, at which point the consular network promoted to help with recruitment of immigrants will be up and running.
Sources however have told the paper that ‘only big corporations’ will be able to satisfy the government’s demands – and that this could be seen as “a situation of inequality”, with regard to smaller businesses.
There have also been calls for ‘tax breaks’ if accommodation and training are part of any recruitment deal.
The details will emerge in the New Year. The reality is that immigrants are not the only ones that bemoan the extinction of the ‘expression of interest’ mechanism, which allowed any visitor to this country to apply for residency, and remain in the country while the process ran its course.
