Recession has sparked prejudice against Poles, claims consul general

Published on Sunday 8 February 2009 21:02

A SENIOR Polish diplomat has claimed that the recession has brought about an increased level of xenophobia in Scotland.

Aleksander Piotkow, the consul general in Edinburgh, said he had been notified of three or four incidents in recent months of Poles being told to go home.

In an interview over the weekend, Mr Piotkow claimed that uncertainty over jobs caused by the economic crisis had led to an increase in this sort of behaviour.

His comments follow wildcat strikes across the UK, including at Longannet in Scotland, against Italian and Portuguese workers being brought in to fulfil a contract at the Total plant in Lincolnshire.

The strike action has sparked off a national debate over whether jobs should be protected for British people.

Mr Piotkow said: "Unfortunately, due to the recession, people start to worry about their prospects for the future.

"Polish people who come here are very competitive in the labour market. So among poorly educated people and (the] low-skilled, they feel threatened by the Poles who take their jobs."

Since 2004, some 70,000 Poles have come to Scotland, partly thanks to the Fresh Talent Initiative launched by the Labour/Liberal Democrat Scottish Executive.