2008 Woodie Awards
Return to The Jungle: The EU and NAFTA open doors for the rich and shut doors in the face of the poor
Munleen Soni
Issue date: 11/7/06 Section: Opinion
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Apparently, America is not the only country that mistreats immigrants.
When author Upton Sinclair described the horrors Lithuanian immigrants faced in American food industries in The Jungle, the Food and Drug Administration was created in response to the social commentary. Ironically, there has been a return to this subjugation of immigrants to menial positions depicted in the current situation in London.
England recently announced a denial of Romanian immigrants permission into the country once Romania joins the European Union (EU) in January of 2007. Their reason for such a measure was that when Poland joined the EU it was thought that their annual rate of immigration would decrease to approximately 3,000, but instead it increased to 10,000 people per year. England feels that their country is too small (or good) for immigrants.
As a result, Romanians will not completely be banned from entering the country, but will be given admittance under certain conditions. Consideration will be given to those who are outstanding in areas of mathematics or science, or to those who agree to take low paying jobs in the agricultural industry. The bill also denies Romanian teenagers from working unless they are enrolled in a British university at least part-time.
Though the British claim it is for their country's benefit, their social position is one that exploits and takes advantage of the lower class by saying society benefits when employees have jobs such as working factories for low wages.
It is ironic that while both the United States and England are considered first world and progressive countries, there is regression into using trade agreements as a method for exploiting minorities.
Similar to the creation of the EU, was the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in the U.S. that has been controversial since its birth. Although NAFTA has perceived benefs in the Northern region of Mexico (the creation of jobs in maquilladoras,exploitive factories along the border), it has caused thousands of farmers to leave their jobs because they are not only receiving 20% lower wages than before NAFTA, but are unable to trade their crops with United States because of price differences. Thus, just as Romanians are being forced into lower class jobs, Mexicans have been forced to flee their country, but only to find themselves harshly treated in the U.S.
When author Upton Sinclair described the horrors Lithuanian immigrants faced in American food industries in The Jungle, the Food and Drug Administration was created in response to the social commentary. Ironically, there has been a return to this subjugation of immigrants to menial positions depicted in the current situation in London.
England recently announced a denial of Romanian immigrants permission into the country once Romania joins the European Union (EU) in January of 2007. Their reason for such a measure was that when Poland joined the EU it was thought that their annual rate of immigration would decrease to approximately 3,000, but instead it increased to 10,000 people per year. England feels that their country is too small (or good) for immigrants.
As a result, Romanians will not completely be banned from entering the country, but will be given admittance under certain conditions. Consideration will be given to those who are outstanding in areas of mathematics or science, or to those who agree to take low paying jobs in the agricultural industry. The bill also denies Romanian teenagers from working unless they are enrolled in a British university at least part-time.
Though the British claim it is for their country's benefit, their social position is one that exploits and takes advantage of the lower class by saying society benefits when employees have jobs such as working factories for low wages.
It is ironic that while both the United States and England are considered first world and progressive countries, there is regression into using trade agreements as a method for exploiting minorities.
Similar to the creation of the EU, was the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in the U.S. that has been controversial since its birth. Although NAFTA has perceived benefs in the Northern region of Mexico (the creation of jobs in maquilladoras,exploitive factories along the border), it has caused thousands of farmers to leave their jobs because they are not only receiving 20% lower wages than before NAFTA, but are unable to trade their crops with United States because of price differences. Thus, just as Romanians are being forced into lower class jobs, Mexicans have been forced to flee their country, but only to find themselves harshly treated in the U.S.