Irish workers have nothing to fear from immigration to Ireland, the Polish ambassador has said.
Speaking to The Irish Times,Witold Sobkow said the Irish economy had managed to absorb some 200,000 migrant workers in recent years at no cost to Irish jobs, and praised the Government for opening the labour market to workers from the 10 states that joined the EU in 2004.
"I think the European Union is about solidarity, it is about the free movement of labour and goods," he said. "We very much appreciate the decision of the governments of Ireland, Britain and Sweden to open their labour markets.
"The Irish market has absorbed 200,000 new workers from overseas. They have not taken Irish jobs; of course, the Irish economy is in a good situation now, and I don't know what will happen in the future, but at the moment they are not taking jobs that Irish people would otherwise have."
Mr Sobkow said many employers had told him that Polish workers were up to 20 per cent more efficient than other employees. "This is what many small companies say to me. It is to do with versatility.
"If you get someone to fix a problem with your fax machine, they will probably only be able to fix the fax machine; a Polish worker will often be able to fix the photocopier and the socket as well. From this point of view, they are more flexible."
The ambassador also expressed surprise at the finding of a recent Irish Times TNS/mrbi opinion poll, which found that 78 per cent of respondents thought people from the central and eastern European states that joined the EU in 2004 should be required to apply for work permits. "I was surprised . . . wherever I go, whoever I speak to, people say that it is a good thing to have Polish workers, and that it benefits the Irish economy."
He said the result was somewhat contradictory, in that 59 per cent of people also thought the presence of non-national workers was good for the Irish economy, while 52 per cent believed their presence was good for society in general. "It's a poll and we should take it into consideration, but I don't know if this is really the view of the people. It's not my impression anyway."