Lea Sitkin on the Precarious Lives of A2 Migrants in the UK

Check out Lea's article posted on the Migrants' Rights Network on April 22nd:  'It’s time to stop: transitional restrictions on the right to work push Romanians and Bulgarians into precarious situations'.

Here's a teaser:

"Migrants are over-represented in poor-quality jobs. Politicians tend to focus on the spectre of the unscrupulous employer when discussing foreign workers’ exploitation. This discourse leaves out the central role of the state in defining the employment options available to migrant workers and the possibilities for addressing exploitation when and where it occurs. When Bulgarian and Romania (the “A2”) joined the EU in 2007, fears of a “fresh influx of East Europeans”provided the context for transitional restrictions on nationals of these countries. Under the Accession treaty, the UK, along with most other EU states, chose to limit Bulgarians’ and Romanians’ access to employment for 7 years. With some exceptions, A2 nationals either had to be high-skilled or work in designated shortage occupations. However, under EU law, there was still one way for nationals from these countries to earn a living in the UK as self-employed..."

Click here to read the rest of the article.