The proposal was rapidly abandoned, with Rudd stating it was one of a tranche of options being considered, but the damage had been done, and the business community, the opposition parties – and many on the Conservative backbenches –reacted with a mixture of shock and dismay.

Even Rudd’s PR executive brother Roland slammed her for “denigration of foreign workers”.

But what about in print? Research from print and packaging recruiter Mercury Search & Selection found that around 6% of print’s workforce is made up of migrant workers, 5% from the EU and just under 1% from outside. How would printers react to such a policy and just how much do we as an industry rely on staff from outside these shores?

“I would be totally opposed to Amber Rudd’s plans. I was actually saying the other day that I would rather go to prison than have to publish a list of the international workers that I employ,” says Terrye Teverson, managing director of Launceston-based KCS Print. 

“I could see how you might want to have an idea of who is in the workforce but what I would actually like is for the government to say, ‘Your job is safe with us, you have been here for the last five years’.”

Teverson explains that KCS has had a roster of migrant workers for many years, in a region that has a growing workforce of non-UK nationals. Of the 27 staff currently on its books, four are EU nationals: two from Poland and two from Slovakia. One has been with the trade printer for more than 10 years.

“A local person who has been to a local school should always get the job ahead of a similarly skilled migrant as they are more likely to stay. So if a foreign worker gets it, you have to ask what is happening to the guys we are saying no to,” adds Teverson.

George Thompson, managing director of print recruiter Harrison Scott, has seen the number of migrant workers entering print slowly increase during his 28-year tenure in the industry.

“From our clients’ point of view, I would say issues with Amber Rudd’s suggestions would be two-fold,” he says.

“Number one is that we get fed up with the amount of regulations and red tape you get at the best of times, and secondly, for personal reasons, many would see that as an infringement of people’s rights and liberties.”

Thompson highlights two upcoming interviews that he has four Eastern European clients lined up for. Both interviewers have experience of hiring migrant workers and both have “only good things to say”.

And it is by no means only unskilled workers that make up the 6%. A large number are skilled digital press operators or account managers with the language skills that local English workers don’t possess. Two thirds are in studio or shop floor roles.

German web-to-print outfit Unitedprint opened up a sales office in London a number of years ago. Its marketing director Ali-Jason Bazooband describes how attracting migrant workers when setting it up was important to take advantage of their superior language skills, hence the choice of ethnically diverse London.

The 700-staff company employs around 50 in the UK, of whom more than half hail from countries such as France, Italy and Spain.

“You do not find a variety of languages in Germany, but London is a melting pot and if a company wants to expand in Europe you need employees with those language skills,” says Bazooband.

Availability of migrant labour in print is mainly concentrated in London and the South East but there are also many EU nationals in East Anglia and the Midlands. 

At Leicester-based GI Solutions Group, chief executive Patrick Headley says that around 20% of his workforce are migrants, well above the average according to Mercury. They are predominantly Polish and are employed in a multitude of roles. 

Hard or soft?

The government is currently trying to work out how the process of dis-entangling the UK from the EU is going to take shape. If it eventually opts for a ‘hard’ Brexit, we could see serious curbs on the ability of EU workers to relocate to the UK. Not to mention lose our own access to jobs in the EU and face much tougher trading terms with our neighbours.

“When I heard we had voted to come away from the EU, I got out of bed and jumped in the car to work to reassure everyone that would be affected that we would do whatever we could to allay their fears,” says Headley, who also employs migrant workers from, among other places, Thailand, Pakistan and the US.

Thompson also fears for the consequences of a hard Brexit. 

“I’ve worked with Australian companies and there it is very tough to get an agreement to issue a visa to allow you to recruit people from other countries. 

“This wouldn’t be good for the printing industry. Having the freedom to select these people who have these skills and are from other parts of the European community makes my job possible in many ways.” 

OPINION

Migrants are growing print, not replacing native workers

Mike Gilligan, director, Mercury Search & Selection

I think this proposal was one of those things that was possibly not that well thought through. It is probably not something that companies would want to get involved with and ultimately there is no logical reason as to why.

I think the print world would react negatively. Typically, most of the migrant workers we see are highly skilled individuals who are providing real competition in these markets. A lot of them have manufacturer-certified training and are every bit as qualified as those in the local labour market.

Depending on the type of position, we also see languages as being a real bonus for migrant workers, whereas language skills don’t tend to be a strong point for British workers.

One of the biggest concentrations of migrant workers is in large-format digital in the South East. It’s a growing market, with many conventional printers moving into the sector. In this case the migrant workers are filling demand that is outstripping the supply of British large-format workers rather than displacing them. It’s not like you are seeing queues of British large-format operators unemployed.

Another situation where migrant workers have added real value would be in areas where there are skills shortages, such as in the South West and South Wales, where there maybe isn’t the competition locally or the talent pool to draw from. Typically, they have fewer ties and are much more ready to relocate, providing much-needed skills to employers who would otherwise struggle to recruit.

I think if we lost the free movement of EU workers it could represent a significant issue for certain geographical areas, but ultimately firms would adapt.

Taking a long-term view, companies need to look at developing their own succession plans to build up strength in depth now. There is always going to be a need to draw in talent and that has to come from somewhere.

READER REACTION

How would restrictions on migration impact your business?

John McMillan, managing director, Johnsons Printers

“Crewe has one of the highest concentrations of Polish migrants in the country and I think it would be a real shame if there was a blanket ban on EU immigration. If you’ve got the people that we are fortunate enough to have here in Crewe, who have moved over here and want to work and have a good skillset and good work ethic, then I think the country can only benefit from those sorts of people. Not to say I’m necessarily against some form of selection; you want people who fit into that criteria.”

Jon Telling, sales director, Perfect Colours

“We employ a sum total of zero migrants. That’s not to say I’ve got anything against migrant labour but we are looking for continuity and performance so it is not something that really suits our business. The expert knowledge of what we do is the most important thing so anyone short-term doesn’t really work for us; even delivery drivers have to know a roll of gloss vinyl from acrylic. We’re quite lucky that we have very little movement of our staff, which reduces our need to search for workers on a short-term basis.”

Bill McFedries, managing director, CFH Docmail

“As an organisation, we are disappointed in the direction that we are heading in terms of leaving the EU and I think stopping free movement would have a meaningful effect. Of course it all comes down to geography and where you are based but there is a pool of skilled staff that have come over and it would be a shame to see that end. We have had a very good experience from the non-UK nationals that we employ and a lot of them are now long-term members of staff.”