The Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) yesterday called on the Government to ensure that better provision was made for migrant workers to live a "normal" life while working in the Republic.
Addressing the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business yesterday, Seán Murphy, head of public affairs at the CCI, said that while the group welcomed the Employment Permits Bill, which is in the process of making its way through Government, there were several changes that needed to be made to ensure it provided adequate quality of life to non-Irish workers.
The CCI criticised the Bill's use of the word "green card", which, according to Mr Murphy, implies that migrant workers would be entitled to apply for permanent residency after a few years in the State as is the norm in the US.
This was not the case with the Irish offering, he said, which allowed for the allocation of a two-year work permit, which can be extended only at the discretion of the minister.
The CCI also called on the Government to ensure that full rights are given to any dependants of the migrant worker, enabling him or her to lead a proper life in the State.
Doing this, he said, would give Ireland a significant advantage over other states that are competing to attract the same highly skilled workers.
In the US, partners of the migrant worker don't automatically have the right to work.
While the CCI welcomed the proposed sanctions against companies that exploit migrant workers, it said more inspectors were needed to police the situation. Streamlining the administrative process of applying for a permit would free up resources to hire additional inspectors, the chambers said.
