Willis

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“migrant workers are caught in the crossfire of contemporary capitalism”1
“On the one hand, advanced capitalist economies can’t live without devouring the rich resources of
cheap labour located in, and coming from, the poorer parts of the world. On the other, (so called) advanced capitalist polities find it hard to deal with the consequences of living with strangers.”2
“immigrant workers are essential for prosperity by providing knowledge, skills, an anti-inflationary
labour supply and new job creation, but such people also have needs, they acquire rights and they can upset the sense of entitlement and belonging of those who already reside. As a result, immigration – and low waged non-European immigration in particular – can all too easily become a moral panic”3
claims that current government policy is to exclude the Non-European, non-white, (often undocumented) immigrants, and replace them with white Eastern Europeans.4
“In brief, these measures are designed to institute a hierarchy of immigrant labour, easing access for the highly skilled while closing national borders to those classed as ‘unskilled’ from outside the EU. In addition, the armoury of the state is now focused on increasing control and surveillance over those who are already in the country, and there are new measures to limit access to humanitarian assistance and prevent those without papers from accessing welfare and work.”5
claim that in London employers can exercise considerable choice over whom they seek to employ.6
point to a “hiring queue” in which decisions are made according to national and racial stereotypes.7
“Emboldened by new biometric technologies, Governments are engaging in an international ‘war for talent’ at the same time as implementing an increasingly draconian ‘war on the poor.’ States are seeking to develop semi-permeable borders that will draw in the talented and wealthy and exclude most of the poor”8
claim that the UK is becoming more “illiberal” as regards both humanitarian aid and immigration.9
table with outline of points system.10
argue that “the non-white migrants who have kept London working for the past 20 years are likely to be displaced by those from much closer to home”11
over representation of migrants from wealthier countries in the top end of the employment market, over representation of those from poorer countries in the bottom end.12
migrant workers willingness to work for low wages (i) “dual frame of reference” can earn more than they would at home (ii) are not able to fall back on the benefit system.13
claim from a respondent from the Brazilian community that they were tolerated whilst performing a useful service, but now that an alternative, E. European, supply is available, and the government wishes to seem tough on immigration, they are suffering.14
1J Wills, J May,K Datta, Y Evans, J Herbert & C McIlwaine, London’s changing migrant division of labour, (London: Queen Mary, University of London, 2008) available online at www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/globalcities/reports/docs/working_paper_2.pdf, 1.
2J Wills, J May,K Datta, Y Evans, J Herbert & C McIlwaine, London’s changing migrant division of labour, (London: Queen Mary, University of London, 2008) available online at www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/globalcities/reports/docs/working_paper_2.pdf, 1.
3J Wills, J May,K Datta, Y Evans, J Herbert & C McIlwaine, London’s changing migrant division of labour, (London: Queen Mary, University of London, 2008) available online at www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/globalcities/reports/docs/working_paper_2.pdf, 2.
4J Wills, J May,K Datta, Y Evans, J Herbert & C McIlwaine, London’s changing migrant division of labour, (London: Queen Mary, University of London, 2008) available online at www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/globalcities/reports/docs/working_paper_2.pdf, 2.
5J Wills, J May,K Datta, Y Evans, J Herbert & C McIlwaine, London’s changing migrant division of labour, (London: Queen Mary, University of London, 2008) available online at www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/globalcities/reports/docs/working_paper_2.pdf, 3.
6 Wills, J May,K Datta, Y Evans, J Herbert & C McIlwaine, London’s changing migrant division of labour, (London: Queen Mary, University of London, 2008) available online at www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/globalcities/reports/docs/working_paper_2.pdf, 10–11.
7J Wills, J May,K Datta, Y Evans, J Herbert & C McIlwaine, London’s changing migrant division of labour, (London: Queen Mary, University of London, 2008) available online at www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/globalcities/reports/docs/working_paper_2.pdf, 11.
8J Wills, J May,K Datta, Y Evans, J Herbert & C McIlwaine, London’s changing migrant division of labour, (London: Queen Mary, University of London, 2008) available online at www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/globalcities/reports/docs/working_paper_2.pdf, 12.
9J Wills, J May,K Datta, Y Evans, J Herbert & C McIlwaine, London’s changing migrant division of labour, (London: Queen Mary, University of London, 2008) available online at www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/globalcities/reports/docs/working_paper_2.pdf, 12.
10J Wills, J May,K Datta, Y Evans, J Herbert & C McIlwaine, London’s changing migrant division of labour, (London: Queen Mary, University of London, 2008) available online at www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/globalcities/reports/docs/working_paper_2.pdf, 14.
11J Wills, J May,K Datta, Y Evans, J Herbert & C McIlwaine, London’s changing migrant division of labour, (London: Queen Mary, University of London, 2008) available online at www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/globalcities/reports/docs/working_paper_2.pdf, 15.
12J Wills, J May,K Datta, Y Evans, J Herbert & C McIlwaine, London’s changing migrant division of labour, (London: Queen Mary, University of London, 2008) available online at www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/globalcities/reports/docs/working_paper_2.pdf, 16.
13J Wills, J May,K Datta, Y Evans, J Herbert & C McIlwaine, London’s changing migrant division of labour, (London: Queen Mary, University of London, 2008) available online at www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/globalcities/reports/docs/working_paper_2.pdf, 29.
14J Wills, J May,K Datta, Y Evans, J Herbert & C McIlwaine, London’s changing migrant division of labour, (London: Queen Mary, University of London, 2008) available online at www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/globalcities/reports/docs/working_paper_2.pdf, 31–32.