Dumpa Byggnads

February 17, 2004

An advertising campaign by the Swedish contruction worker's union has the temerity to suggest that preventing immigrants from competing on price helps them avoid exploitation. Basically, by not working, you're not being exploited, goes the reasoning. Of course, unions, like any other interest group, should look after their members, so if Swedish construction workers want to lobby the government for mercantilist laws to protect them from having to compete with eager hardworking Poles and Latvians, let them; but they must not be allowed to get away with baldfaced lies: They are not on the side of the poor; immigrants are not being exploited when they undercut Sweden's union rates. Instead, it is Swedish consumers who are being exploited by high prices when they cannot access competitive labor markets.

The whole point of free trade and the free movement of labor — indeed, the raison d'être of the EU — is that countries specialize in producing those goods and services they have a comparative advantage in. For Poles, their advantage is price. For Swedes, it is technology. Both countries will have far more winners than losers when they trade goods and labor, but it is important to realize that you cannot have those winners without the losers. The solution is not kneejerk protectionism, it is training those who lose out so they can find new jobs. A generous welfare state makes this solution all the easier.

No luck getting this message across in Europe. Except for Ireland and the UK, all current EU member states will prevent acceding member states' citizens (except the minuscule ones) from looking for work on their turf when they join, for up to seven years. Read this Guardian Special report. It reads like an ode to callousness.

And it is the perfect recipe for disillusionment. Take one EU, problems and all, then throw out the redeeming bits. Now stuff it down the newcomers' throats. The upshot: Belgian EU citizens can work in Sweden because they are already rich. Polish EU citizens cannot, because they are too poor.

At least the British government "says it expects economic benefits from migrant workers," according to the Guardian. Why can't anyone else see this? Jean Monnet is turning in his grave.Under helgen bestämde jag mig redan att jag skulle skriva här på svenska om Byggnadsarbetareförbundets annonskampanj som jag märkte up i tunnelbana förra veckan. Idag, lyckligtvis för er som pratar bättre svenska än jag, skrev Peter Wolodarski på DN allt som jag ville säga, men i mycket bättre svenska och i mer detalj. Kampanj är skamlig.

Jag vill bara stryker under några saker. Jag kan förstå att Byggnads vill tillvarata deras medlemmars intressen, och att det betyder att de inte vill ha invandrare som jobbar för mindre pengar här i Sverige, därför att Byggnads inte är konkurrenskraftig med invandrare. Men Byggnads ljuger helt enkelt när de påstår att de vill hjälpa invandrare undvika utnyttjande. Invandrare som kommer till Sverige som byggnadsarbetare tjänar mer pengar här än hemma. Det är inte dumpning. Dumpning betyder sälja under kostpris för att ödelägga konkurrensen.

EUs utvidgning bevisa att det inte är invandrare som utnyttjas, det är vi svenska konsumenter som är utnyttjat av Byggnadsarbetareförbundet. De är för dyra i den nya EU.

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