Out of the frying pan, into the fire
Recent developments have made us start to worry that Poland has decided to implement the "Polska dla Polakow" (Poland for Poles) slogan until now known only on the banners of extreme rightists.
The policy is being implemented subtly, but effectively, mainly through the refusal to issue or extend foreigners' work permits. The most spectacular example includes Daewoo's president, and the most recent, problems faced by a local Indian restaurant owner. Warsaw's starosta (the head of the Warsaw county), who single-handedly decides who deserves a permit, refused to extend the permits of the restaurant's cooks. The reason: Poles can be taught to cook Indian food just fine.
This overzealous clerk probably thinks that by getting rid of foreigners, he is paving the way for all unemployed Warsaw cooks. This approach, however, is like trying to cure cancer with a Band-Aid. The 17,000 foreigners who received work permits last year couldn't possibly imperil this nation of more than 38 million. Foreigners are not to blame for this country's unemployment rate of 13.7%.
Rather, increasing labor costs and a lack of structural reforms in certain sectors are at fault. And that's something Poland has to deal with in a more comprehensive way than by refusing a small number of foreigners work permits. Investing in education and the development of marketable skills could be a good start.
But there is a moral issue here as well. Firstly, no one is arguing that Poland needs foreign investors, or rather, foreign capital. So if we accept these investments, it should be given to understand that the managers of these investments will come here as well. One could say this puts Polish managers at a disadvantage, but there are enough examples where an established foreign investor sooner or later turns to Polish middle-level and senior management who know the local business environment better than he does.
And there's another moral issue: for decades Poles have been famous job tourists, and there are very few people in their 30s or 40s who haven't had any experience working abroad. Such a possibility helped several generations to make ends meet, especially during the grim 1980s. The general expectation has been that after joining the European Union (EU), things will only get better. But this is a two-way street. Free movement of people doesn't only mean that Poles won't need permits to work, for example, in Germany. It will also mean that a German will be able to come here and start a bierstube. The customer should decide whether they prefer Daab or Zywiec. Or, whether they prefer original tandoori chicken or a counterfeit called kurczak po hindusku.
