Boycotting Byron

[Alty]

Lol it's a conspiracy to suggest the capitalist class tolerate a level of undocumented migration because it's good for them.

Byron clearly benefited from employing workers with counterfeit papers (through alleged exploitative practices). They also benefited from having a load of their workforce deported just before payday. 35 workers were deported, apparently 50+ slipped through the net. Quick, back of a fag packet calculation suggests they'd have pocketed over £100k in stolen wages - a decent percentage of their profits. And because they "co-operated" they won't face sanction.

So once again immigration enforcement targets the vulnerable individuals while allowing the exploitative systems to cash in. Regularising the undocumented workforce would pull the rug from under this.

What the hell are you talking about? Immigration, and more specifically migrant working, is the most politically toxic issue out there at the moment. It's the issue that just lost the establishment a vote on their beloved European Union. When we have net migration running at a third of a million, with much of the figure made up of low-skilled people unable to demand high wages, what's the additional benefit of an undocumented class of workers (who in this case were paid the minimum wage, AFAIK)? And why do the Government continue to go after these illegal workers? Just to keep up the pretence, I suppose?

Yep, regularise the undocumented workforce - problem solved. It stands to reason that if we allow illegal immigrants, asylum seekers, overstayers etc. to stay and to work that everything will be hunky dory. All these people will unionise and wages will increase significantly. There will be no negative effects for the almost 1 million people already unemployed and the countless millions of others who, despite having unconditional rights to reside and work, peculiarly find themselves on unfavourable contracts and low wages. Presumably your view is that the only reason they find themselves in this position is the implicit threat that their employer always have the option of giving their jobs to undocumented workers instead? One does wonder why wages remain low in parts of the country with no/very few migrants though. Hmmmm.

Can't see any negative knock-on effects either when people from elsewhere in the world learn that the UK issues amnesties and even allows asylum seekers to work (create a kafkaesque back-story in relation to your asylum claim, it'll take months to resolve, all the while you can be working before you get removed from the country).

You seem to be resolutely wedded to a neo-Marxist position and therefore steadfastly refuse to look at the issue from another perspective. The answers are oh so easy and the only reason the politicians/business leaders refuse to solve problems is their determination to fuck over everyone without lots of wealth and power. I just don't think this bears any resemblance to the real world.

 

[NorfolkWomble]

Byron Burger paid those migrant workers barely minimum wage because it is technically legal and are happy to exploit migrant labour until it is technically illegal. This from a company that was bought for £100m only a few years ago. Of course you could say the same about most big companies, but it seems more practical to boycott those that are brazenly awful.

Them being migrants has nothing to do with their wage, it isn't like they can be paid less because of it. If Byron knew about this when they hired them, then fuck Byron, but I think it is very unlikely that they would risk the huge fines, public backlash etc to save what exactly?

 

[Jockney]

Them being migrants has nothing to do with their wage, it isn't like they can be paid less because of it. If Byron knew about this when they hired them, then fuck Byron, but I think it is very unlikely that they would risk the huge fines, public backlash etc to save what exactly?

On a macro level, of course it does, but I was illustrating how tenuous the relationship between legality and morality is. I don't believe I ever said they were paid minimum wage (if they even received that) because they were migrants?

 

[NorfolkWomble]

On a macro level, of course it does, but I was illustrating how tenuous the relationship between legality and morality is. I don't believe I ever said they were paid minimum wage (if they even received that) because they were migrants?

It seemed like you were linking them being migrant workers to their low wages. Apologies if that was unintended.

 

[mnb089mnb]

Just to be an absolute pedant - Border Force simply stop illegal immigrants coming into the country. I suspect what happened here is a mixture of asylum seekers with no right to work, students with very limited right to work and overstayers whose visas had expired were taking up jobs using false documents. It's up to Immigration Enforcement to stop such people and it is a fair bit harder once people are already in the country, unless you're going to be spying on people at all times. Which is unfeasible. I think the Home Office is going to start being more proactive when it comes to overstayers rather than just issuing a reminder letter saying they should extend their visas or leave the country. But it won't solve the problem completely.

I'm just genuinely surprised that people can seemingly work with a large company, pay taxes etc., yet be illegal. If Byron (a relatively small company) was employing at a very minimum 35 people, how many are Tesco, Starbucks etc. employing? I must admit, I don't think that the government are too bothered about tackling this issue. If the govt. could wake a magic wand tomorrow and remove every single illegal immigrant from the country I imagine a lot of businesses would struggle.

To answer other people in the thread, the benefit of employing illegal immigrants over UK employees (even at exactly the same wage) is that you can treat an illegal immigrant like shit as they'll find it harder to get another job as they have to defraud each employer every time they get a new job.

 

[Alty]

I assume most people spotted this the other day but in case they didn't: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36994955

So this chap at least was someone who, his words, just thought he'd come to the UK to "try his luck" using false papers. No indication Byron knew he was a fraud or that they paid him less than the minimum wage. He also says immigration officials treated him courteously and allowed him to collect his belongings before arranging for his deportation.

He seems to have been annoyed by his employer having cooperated with the Home Office, but doesn't give an explanation of what he'd expect them to have done.

MOTWYW.