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Green light for green cards

Proposed labor law amendment could draw more foreign workers

By Ondřej Bouda
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
August 27th, 2008 issue

The procedure for non-EU foreigners seeking employment in the Czech Republic looked poised to change Aug. 22, when the Chamber of Deputies passed an employment bill amendment that would replace working visas and residency permits with a green card.
If the amendment is approved by the Senate and signed by the president, the first green cards could be issued in January 2009.
“We want to cut down on the bureaucracy involved in finding employment in the Czech Republic and enable more foreigners to work here,” Labor and Social Affairs Minister Petr Nečas, who proposed the amendment, told The Prague Post July 16, when the legislation was still being prepared.
Foreigners wishing to work in the Czech Republic would have to apply for the green card at an embassy prior to entering the country. Under the new legislation, there would be three types available: Type A, for university graduates, would be valid for three years; Type B, for those who have a high-school diploma, would be valid for two years; Type C would be issued to “others” and would also have a two-year validity.
However, not everyone would be eligible for the card. “We want to keep absolute control over the system in case of any instability,” Nečas said. “Applicants will have to be from pre-approved countries and the list could change at a moment’s notice.”
With the card, foreigners would be able to apply only for jobs from a central register that have not been filled by Czech or EU citizens for at least 30 days. But, even then, not all jobs would be available to foreigners. “There will be a list of professions available to foreign workers, and only those jobs will be in the register,” Nečas explained. “In the case of a crisis on the labor market such as an extreme lowering of wages due to an influx of foreign workers, we could easily take affected professions off the list.”
While the amendment would apply to university graduates, it would primarily affect the unskilled labor market, and Nečas is convinced that it is necessary to lure more such foreign workers to the Czech Republic. “Already we have some 150,000 available jobs that Czechs do not want to do. A foreign work force will solve problems in industries requiring unskilled labor,” he said, adding that not enough workers are arriving to fill the gaps. “Anyone who thinks that we are super attractive for foreign workers is mistaken. We are competing against countries both west and east of us. We’ll be lucky if 50,000 people come within the next five years.”
However, statistics from Nečas’ own ministry show a different story. At the end of July, 278,300 foreigners worked in the Czech Republic and more than 38,000 arrived within the first seven months of this year.
The opposition Social Democrats worry that the introduction of a green card could mean a sudden influx of foreigners that the country will not be able to deal with. According to some, large ghettoes such as those common in Paris could appear in Prague and other Czech cities, possibly leading to violence and security issues.
“We are bound to see growing numbers of patients with AIDS and tuberculosis, which will be brought by immigrants from poor countries,” said Social Democratic MP David Rath. He is also worried that drug dealers, prostitutes and other criminals will misuse the new system that would simplify the process of entering the Czech Republic legally. “I am convinced that most of the people that can be seen each night on Wenceslas Square entered the country legally, but their current activities are hardly legal at all. Opening the doors even more will allow more such people to enter,” Rath said.
Communists also criticized the amendment. “The government has passed an unbalanced amendment that eats into many workers’ rights. We are falling below European standards in worker protection,” the party said in an Aug. 22 press release. The communists are mostly worried that allowing more foreign workers to enter the country could cause social unrest. “Bringing in foreign workers will lower the value of labor, weaken workers’ unions and create further opportunities for limiting social rights,” the statement said. “There is no plan to integrate the workers into Czech society and that will bring huge problems in the future.”

Ondřej Bouda can be reached at obouda@praguepost.com


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