Roger Knapman hires Polish workers

Christina · 07-05-2006, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Holland

I think Rogerr should resign because of our results.
However UKIP has not said that we will stop all immigration therefore using foreign labourers is not a problem. We have to pay the costs of the EU so why not enjoy the - limited - benefits.

Can I just say that I have no problems with the broad thrust of our immigration policy although I think it is missing some details (like eg we need to stop people reciving benefits for their first 2-5 years in the UK).

This isn't about using Polish immigrants, David, this is about importing workers from Poland to do a job instead of British workers. Roger Knapman is not in a position where he cannot afford British workers. It is not illegal, it is the principle of the matter, as BA stated.

RKS used to complain about British workers losing work because of this, and now we can see that his opponent has no problem with it.

David Holland · 07-05-2006, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B.A.Ware

Quote:

However UKIP has not said that we will stop all immigration therefore using foreign labourers is not a problem. We have to pay the costs of the EU so why not enjoy the - limited - benefits.

Sorry Dave i don't agree how can Roger justify his use of cheap immigrant workers and make the following statement

Quote:

No more 'economic' immigration will be entertained except in very exceptional circumstances. If we cannot run our own country with sixty million people. Then when will we ever be able to run it?

Well we have to pay the costs of immigration why can't we benefit from it ?
However I do think he looks stupid.

Christina · 07-05-2006, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Holland

[
Well we have to pay the costs of immigration why can't we benefit from it ?
However I do think he looks stupid.

You seem to misunderstand the article in the Times, Dave. Knapman is not employing immigrants (people who have decided to live here permanently) he is bringing over Poles for the duration of the their work on his house, then sending them back. He also badmouthed British workers.

No true patriotic person would do that, and as the leader of a patriotic party, it is galling to say the least.

You have no chance of winning the working class with a leader who clearly despises them.

Martin Harvey · 07-05-2006, 03:27 PM

Of course, any sort of cheap immigrant labour makes it very difficult for
the many genuine tax-paying British building workers to earn sufficient wages
to pay their mortgages and support their families of young children. Any Party
activist must realise these concerns, and UKIP does have great support from
the many workers in small business. With so much personal debt about and
record numbers of bankruptcies, importing cheap foreign labour will only make
things worse. But then those who work in the EU Parliament become increasingly out of touch with reality, or do they expect British workers to adopt very much lower standards of living?
Martin Harvey

Christina · 07-05-2006, 03:30 PM

To be fair, Martin, this is about one man, Roger Knapman.

Percentage · 07-05-2006, 03:31 PM

At best this is a gross clear error of misjudgement,at worst it is rank hypocrisy in terms of principles & a treasonous act against the British working class!

When will the UKIP leadership stop looking down on the British people & how long will the Rank & file membership allow them to continue to do so?

Anthony Butcher · 07-05-2006, 04:03 PM

Given the number of very strong feelings expressed here, I have added a poll to the front page:
http://www.democracyforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=11064

Full text of the article (in case it disappears from the Times website):

Quote:

THE leader of the anti-immigration UK Independence party (UKIP) has imported cheap east European labourers to renovate his West Country mansion.

Roger Knapman, an MEP and UKIP’s leader since 2002, hired Polish workers through his son, who runs a company that specialises in bringing foreign labour to Britain.

Over the past 11 months they have been working 10 hours a day, six days a week, while living dormitory-style in Knapman’s attic. His son’s company claims east Europeans are up to 50% cheaper than their British counterparts.

Knapman, whose party was the only British group in the European parliament to vote against allowing east European states, including Poland, into the EU, boasted to an undercover reporter he could help supply Polish labourers to do similar work for British customers.

He said using cheap foreigners is much better since “they work so much harder”.

The disclosure will surprise supporters of UKIP, which has warned that enlarging the EU to incorporate east European states would lead to a “flood of migrants” that would be “bad for Britain”.

Its 2005 manifesto said the rate of immigration had to be stemmed because “the numbers of those permitted to enter legally has been rising sharply as a result of both the eastern expansion of the EU and deliberate government policy. The Labour government’s untenable excuse is that we need large numbers of immigrant workers”.

In public, Knapman, a former Tory MP, claims to take pride in supporting British business and boasts of owning two Rover cars. However, last week he told an undercover reporter that for the past 11 months he had been using a team of Polish workers to restore his grade II listed home in the west Devon village of Coryton. For much of that time he has had three or four workers, who have been provided with an old television, sleeping in his attic.

“They have a very good work ethic and work so much harder than anyone over here,” he said. “You know they are not going to go off to another job as they are there specifically for you.

“Many workers here just aren’t skilled enough to do the work involved in renovating an old property. These men work 10 hours a day, six days a week and then we give them Sunday off. It’s a 60-hour week, but they want to do it.”

Knapman said he could help arrange teams of east Europeans to carry out building work through the firm run by his son William. “He will bring over some Polish workers according to what you need and they won’t let you down,” he said.

William Knapman runs Billdar, a Polish-registered company that sources east Europeans for jobs in Britain. The workers, whom he described as “like an army of ants”, are paid about £50 a day — about half of the cost of a British builder.

William Knapman told an undercover reporter he used mostly Polish workers but also some Slovaks, Latvians and Swedes and quoted £4,000 for two men working for six weeks, from which the company takes an unspecified fee.

“I think it’s anywhere between 20% and 50% cheaper [than using British workers] doing it this way,” he said. “The important thing is we’re not talking Monday to Friday, nine to five, with a tea break. They work 8am-6pm six days a week.”

Roger Knapman said he would be employing the men, who have refurbished much of his property, for a further three months. When challenged yesterday, Knapman said there was “no contradiction” between what he was doing and the objectives of his party.

On UKIP’s opposition to letting Poland join the EU, he said: “That is talking about political union, that is not talking about people working.”

When it was pointed out to him that they could freely work here because of the political union, he said: “I don’t see that is relevant at all. We have three people who come here, they are very nice people and when they finish they go home.”

marsipan · 07-05-2006, 04:11 PM

If the reports are true and are not an attempt to undermine Knapman then he is a disgrace.

As mentioned in an earlier post, how ironic that Kilroy illustrated the dangers of uncontrolled immigration by highlighting the fact Polish plumbers were under-cutting British tradesmen.

If true, Knapman must take back every comment he has ever made about politicians being out of touch with the mood of the country.

And then he needs to get the hell out of the anti-EU movement.

Petrina · 07-05-2006, 04:13 PM

I believe that there is an NEC meeting tomorrow.

I hope that by then Roger will have realised that no amount of bluff can overcome the fact that his behaviour, coupled with what he said to the undercover reporter, places him in an invidious position as the leader of an overtly patriotic party .

I trust that he will offer his apologies and his resignation to the NEC .To do otherwise would be another serious lack of judgement in my view.

Christina · 07-05-2006, 04:16 PM

I admire Petrina's clarity on this.

07-05-2006, 03:27 PM	#24 (permalink)
Martin Harvey Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: West Essex Posts: 167	Roger Knapman hires Polish workers Of course, any sort of cheap immigrant labour makes it very difficult for the many genuine tax-paying British building workers to earn sufficient wages to pay their mortgages and support their families of young children. Any Party activist must realise these concerns, and UKIP does have great support from the many workers in small business. With so much personal debt about and record numbers of bankruptcies, importing cheap foreign labour will only make things worse. But then those who work in the EU Parliament become increasingly out of touch with reality, or do they expect British workers to adopt very much lower standards of living? Martin Harvey

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07-05-2006, 03:30 PM	#25 (permalink)
Christina Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Eccleston, St Helens Posts: 1,529	To be fair, Martin, this is about one man, Roger Knapman.

07-05-2006, 03:31 PM	#26 (permalink)
Percentage Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: N.Ireland Posts: 1,729	At best this is a gross clear error of misjudgement,at worst it is rank hypocrisy in terms of principles & a treasonous act against the British working class! When will the UKIP leadership stop looking down on the British people & how long will the Rank & file membership allow them to continue to do so?

07-05-2006, 04:11 PM	#28 (permalink)
marsipan Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 70	If the reports are true and are not an attempt to undermine Knapman then he is a disgrace. As mentioned in an earlier post, how ironic that Kilroy illustrated the dangers of uncontrolled immigration by highlighting the fact Polish plumbers were under-cutting British tradesmen. If true, Knapman must take back every comment he has ever made about politicians being out of touch with the mood of the country. And then he needs to get the hell out of the anti-EU movement.

07-05-2006, 04:13 PM	#29 (permalink)
Petrina Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: sussex Posts: 1,037	I believe that there is an NEC meeting tomorrow. I hope that by then Roger will have realised that no amount of bluff can overcome the fact that his behaviour, coupled with what he said to the undercover reporter, places him in an invidious position as the leader of an overtly patriotic party . I trust that he will offer his apologies and his resignation to the NEC .To do otherwise would be another serious lack of judgement in my view.

07-05-2006, 04:16 PM	#30 (permalink)
Christina Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Eccleston, St Helens Posts: 1,529	I admire Petrina's clarity on this.