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THE SUPREME COURT is declaring today that the ban on asylum seekers working in Ireland is unconstitutional.
The court found the ban to be unconstitutional “in principle” last May and the cabinet agreed to lift the ban last November but the job options for asylum seekers under the new scheme are exceptionally limited.
A 6-12 month work permit can only be obtained by securing a job with a starting salary of at least €30,000 and the permit alone will cost €500 to €1000.
Asylum seekers must have been here for more than nine months to be able to work and are excluded from working in 60 different sectors, including hospitality, healthcare, social work, general care services, marketing, sales, administration, housekeeping, food and construction, ie the vast majority of jobs.
At the moment these regulations are an “interim measure”. However, as we have seen before, “interim measures” have a way of becoming permanent.
As it stands people in the centres are provided with meals and given a weekly allowance of just €21.60. The system was set up as a six-month measure 17 years ago.
Right to work is only for the highly qualified
These caveats mean that only the most highly qualified and experienced asylum seekers can obtain the right to work.
Not only do they have to find an employer willing to hire and pay them at least €30,000 – employers must show evidence that they advertised and were unable to find an EU citizen to fill the role.
Many asylum seekers are from unstable African countries experiencing political and economic turmoil. While there may be some very highly qualified asylum seekers, it’s likely that this is the exception rather than the rule.
Trauma and disruption
A person seeking asylum will have experienced trauma and disruption throughout the course of their normal lives, and this may have affected their education. Many asylum seekers are women and women with children, some born into direct provision.
People seeking asylum are forced to flee their homes and countries of birth because war and political instability make it impossible to live there. They’re here because they had no choice but to seek a better life elsewhere. What is wrong with that?
Haven’t we all the right to pursue happiness? Asylum seekers are not here in this grey, rain-sodden isle of ours because they really want to be far from their homes, family and friends.
Only difference is geography and skin colour
Why have so many young Irish people left Ireland? Economic opportunity and better lives abroad. The only difference is geography and skin colour.
Many asylum seekers may lack educational qualifications but not the desire to learn, contribute and create their own destinies. How many would love to work in any job rather than living in enforced limbo for months, often years, awaiting a decision from our Department of Justice?
The Minister’s decision is innately unjust, cruel and downright discriminatory.
I wish everyone was valued equally
I wish Ireland was a fairer, more humane and compassionate country. I wish everyone was valued equally. I wish those able and willing to work were allowed to, without any condition. I wish they were encouraged and incentivised, not prevented, from doing so.
Mental health issues caused to asylum seekers living in the oppressive direct provision system of cramped, overcrowded accommodation and state handouts while awaiting a decision on asylum status have been well documented.
It is yet another example of Ireland’s shame, to add to our current homelessness problem, the history of Magdalene laundries and clerical abuse and the imposition of the Eighth Amendment.
Decision is shameful
Why not allow people work in whatever sector they wish, pay taxes like everyone else and become full participants in our society?
I don’t understand the mentality behind imposing these discriminatory conditions. Let’s call a spade a spade. They are discriminatory towards people who have undoubtedly suffered enough at the hands of this State.
The Minister for Justice’s decision is shameful. It doesn’t represent me. An apology and compensation will be required at some future date to the victims of the direct provision scheme.
Sorcha Grisewood is a teacher and writer with a particular interest in social justice issues. She blogs at MyHovel.ie.
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I’m already mining IrishCoin http://irishcoin.org/
Dell computers have been accepting bit coins for almost a year now.
They future is here. Physical money is so last Millenium
Just looking at the price of bitcoins now, its still financially unsafe method of currency to invest or store. If you both 1 btc in Sept, its already worth a hundred euro less today. It’s been dropping steadyily all year and the hope at even mining btc yourself has since past and only possible now by massive well funded farms. It takes longer now to mine a single btc due to the algorithim and size of the block increasing, the cost of electricity to run the AISC computer and the steady downward value of bitcoin. It stands currently at 285 euro today and it was valued at 380 in Sept and 480 euro in June. Unless you buy it from an exchange and immediatly use it for a transaction theres a good chance your losing money still.
Derek, you are selecting higher prices from earlier this year as your benchmark bit there have been lower prices earlier this year too, and far lower prices if you look further back into its history. Overall it is still a remarkably high performing investment and can only be viewed with a negative outlook if you assume a downwards trend in the future. Its value is certainly volatile and unpredictable but there has been a great investment for many people, even if you invested early last year. Ultimately, the price is the least interesting aspect of bitcoin. The problems it solves and range of applications of blockchain technology is where the value lies.
Unless it turns out to be entirely speculative and have no backing or intrinsic value… Tulips looked like a remarkably good investment up until 1637.
And at least when those people lost all their money they could grow some pretty flowers to cheer themselves up… Lol
Bitcoin is as legit if not more legit than the Euro. All it takes is for people to stop considering the euro legal tender and its gone, same for bitcoin.
I agree with you Martin on it being a worthwhile investment for those who bought say early ’13 when it was at it lowest starting off and skyrocketed by 15 fold last Dec. A lot of people made a lot of money there and are still in the green.
With its future, I only wish for its success and growth, anything which takes control of currency away from banks and self interest monopoles who worryingly have already turned their attention to buying btc, is welcome. It needs to steady off however soon and settle more where within a week it can fluctuate a by fifty dollars, once this happens and more Institutes and companies get on board and accept transactions with it I think it has the potential to become a real future contender.
It started off Jan 3rd 2009 and had been through several bubbles since then. I wouldn’t be so sure that the 2013 bubble is the last. The value must increase as adoption grows due to the scarcity built into the protocol. If you believe that we have seen peak adoption levels already then there will not be another profitable bubble and you should not invest.
All currencies require a degree of consensual delusion. What is the intrinsic value of a dollar? The warmth from burning it? What is the benefit of having your currency backed by a government? That they can confiscate it from your bank account if the economy takes a nosedive? There is a reason The University of Nicosia runs a masters degree in digital currencies and accepts bitcoin as payment for all courses. Cypriots have experienced the “benefits” of a government backed currency.
You clearly don’t know what ‘Legal Tender’ actually means…
It’s not ‘most people think it’s worth something’ it’s if I owe you a debt and I pay you using ‘legal tender for all debts private and public’ you can’t sue me and claim you were never paid.
You didn’t mention legal tender in your previous post Drew. I addressed the specific points you raised “no backing or intrinsic value”. Each country can grant bitcoin legal tender status if it chooses to do so. Just because it’s not legal tender today in Ireland today doesn’t mean it can’t be or won’t be in the future. Today bitcoin is legal currency in many countries and several, including Germany and Australia have indicated that is may be granted legal tender status in the future.
I will avoid using this currency if possible.
Can’t beat pirated software !!
Glen is a paid shill for The Pirate Bay.
Aye aye Ayer I’m guilty I’ll walk the plank now!
Cha Ching!
What a mad headline,
This just in:
I bought a loaf of bread in a major supermarket, it was not tesco or dunnes!!
Bit silly alright, its the way they get an extra click from people going into article to find out its microsoft
I’m going to start using eir-coin
Hopefully more places in Dublin start accepting.
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