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The end of the Au Pair in Ireland?

The end of the Au Pair in Ireland?

Over the last 10-15 years I have met and talked to Au Pairs from many countries (e.g. Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Brazil and Mexico). In all cases, they have stayed in Ireland for 1-3 years, are still in contact with their host family, did come back numerous times, brought many friends with them when they came back and would have liked to send their children in a few years time to Ireland too. They all arrived with very limited English skills and left with a good command of the language, the culture and a love for Ireland.

Their host families were fair, gave them plenty of time off, good food, proper accommodation, in some cases even holidays away and while the work was not always easy, especially if you are not trained in child minding, they all look back to their time in Ireland as deeply enriching, extremely educational and with a massive influence on their lives since they were here for all the right reasons.

The positive experience by the Au Pairs I met is, however, contrasted by some horror stories of host families from hell and it seems that there are more than we would like to think. In these bad scenarios, the Au Pair was stuck in a place far away from a language school or other au pairs, had limited opportunities or permission to leave the home during the week and was tasked with so much work or soo many young children that they despaired and in all cases left the host family to go to a new and much more considerate family.

So, yes, there are bad apples among the au pair host parents, but it seems that the vast majority does not belong in this category. And because leaving a family doesn’t seem to be the biggest problem, a solution was found in ALL cases.

During the week, a different case got a LOT of media attention.

A Spanish Au Pair was seemingly in a family that demanded more from her than typically should be expected from an Au Pair. An Au Pair is expected to work up to 35 hours per week in the family, mainly looking after the children and often some household chores are also added to it. In return they get accommodation, food and pocket money of around EUR 400 per month. This is not a huge amount and with Dublin prices won’t allow you to live in luxury, but is more than some families have left over at the end of the month in Dublin.

The Spanish Au Pair was given more work than that and less free time. She was from August 2014 until January 2015 in that host family and at times just worked 30 hours, but for a short period of time in November, she was looking after the children for up to 11 hours per day, for 6 days per week when one of the parents was away. In return she got double the pocket money (EUR 200) and if you do the calculation (she got 100 Euro more for 36 hours of work more than in other weeks), then she got the extremely low salary of EUR 2.77 per hour.

That’s not enough and there is no question that the family should have paid her more during that period. However, the Spanish Au Pair decided to go to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC; in the past this was called the Labour Court) to complain about the slave work. She won the case, the family paid her EUR 9229 and now it looks as she single-handedly triggered the end of the Au Pairs in Ireland.

The WRC decided that she should have received at least a minimum salary, BUT also that the maximum value the accommodation and food can be given is EUR 54.13 per week. Maybe the WRC needs to check where in Dublin you can get an own room with all bills paid and food included for EUR 216.52 per month?

There are 20,000 (!!!) Au Pairs in Ireland every year and as a result of that ruling, it seems that many families have decided already to end their relationship with their Au Pair, because they fear that they will have to pay thousands in salaries. And therefore, this probably is the start of the end of Au Pairs in Ireland.

But let me be straight: The abuse of a relatively vulnerable position of an Au Pair in a family is not and should never be acceptable, so 30 hours for EUR 100 is NOT ok. However, if we assume the Au Pair works 30 hours per week, so 120 hours per month and is an untrained worker in the first year of the job (most come directly after school), then the lower minimum salary rate of EUR 7.32 applies and therefore a monthly salary of EUR 878.40 would have to be paid. Now let’s subtract the REAL value of accommodation and food of maybe EUR 400 per month and then we have EUR 478.40 left. Divide it by 4 weeks and surprisingly you arrive at EUR 120, which is not that far away from the EUR 100.

So, instead of killing the Au Pair opportunity for foreign young adults, it should be formalised (as it is the case in the UK) and clear guidelines should be providd. If it was limited to 30 hours per week of light work with a weekly pocket money of EUR 150 would that not be an acceptable compromise?

The Migrants Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI), who worked on this case on behalf of the Spanish Au Pair, and the WRC don’t seem to think so, but from my chats with Au Pairs in good families, they are NOT helping the young adults who want to experience Ireland and learn English for a few months or the (good) families who are happy to reward and respect their Au Pair in an appropriate way, but don’t want to get into becoming employers.

It feels as part from that one Spanish Au Pair, everybody involved is a loser since this case has been decided.

Ireland, a (catholic) banana republic?

Ireland, a (catholic) banana republic?

Let me start with a disclaimer: I am catholic and I do go to church. I am very much what strict catholics call an “a la card” catholic. I choose some elements for me and ignore others. And most importantly I am a strong proponent of tolerant acceptance of all religions and other believes and of complete separation of religious and state matters. But at the same time I am German and that means that rules are needed and these rules should be clear and non-quibbleable (I made that non-existing word up…so much about sticking to strict rules, right? ;-) )

With that in mind, imagine my shock and abhorrence when I read on Friday on the RTE News website (www.rte.ie/news/vote2015/2015/0522/7030), that bibles were provided to Polling Stations in cases “where a presiding officer asks a voter with no identification to swear an oath”!

WHAT???

So, you find a polling card that is not yours and for which you clearly have no identification and you will be allowed to vote just by putting your hand on a book and declaring that you are that person?? I so hope that I got that wrong!?

Because if I didn’t get it wrong, I should leave my passport at home next time I travel and ask for a bible at Dublin airport.

What Banana republic do we live in where a) you are allowed to vote without and identification, b) where a religious book and a few words count more than a formal, state issued document and c) where the Department of Environment explains that as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

To buy a phone and get services from a company, I need an ID and also a proof of address. To vote in a constitution changing referendum, I just need a book and a promise. *shaking head*

What if I am a Trekkie? Will then a Star Trek DVD replace the book? Or as Rastafarian? Just bring the Holy Piby?

It gets better!! It seems there is a bit of a preference for catholicism, because if you are not religious you can just “make an affirmation” says the Department of Environment, you don’t even need a book! I should try that next time I am at a traffic checkpoint: “I can positively affirm that my name is Enda Kenny…and that I will pay that speeding ticket when you send it to me.”

Looks like a Banana Republic to me!!!

Internet Censorship to hit Ireland

Internet Censorship to hit Ireland

EMI, Sony, Warner Music and Universal won a court case against UPC, Imagine, Vodafone, Digiweb, Hutchison 3G Ltd and Telefonica O2 Ireland Ltd forcing them to block access to PirateBay websites within 30 days (Eircom had already given in years ago). www.rte.ie/news/business/2013/0612/456177-pirate-bay-court/ This is the first time – but won’t be the last time – when the Irish SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) legislation that thanks to Junior Minister Sean Sherlock and the current Fine Gael government will bring various forms of Internet censorship to Ireland.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not in favour of Copyright Infringement and Online Piracy. It is illegal and therefore its status is clear. However, ThePirateBay.org does not provide illegal content, it is just a listing or linking site (not much different than Google in its concept). And blocking access to it, is not much different than blocking access to websites that list organisations that the government of the day does not like.If that was something we heard about from China, we would all be in uproar about the oppressive government.

Find out more about the law that is used to force the Internet block here www.stopsopaireland.com/#3 Worryingly, the same law can be used to block complete access to Facebook, YouTube and all other similar websites if ANYBODY from ANYWHERE in the world ever posted material on these platforms that infringes any copyright. Is the Chinese situation now that far fetched?

What does the ruling mean for you? If you use any of the listed providers for Internet connectivity, you will soon not be able to reach the Pirate Bay website anymore if you are a normal Internet user. However, the decentralised structure of the Internet will mean that a total block is close to impossible for people “in the know”.

And there is another interesting side-effect: The National Broadband Plan in Ireland for which your taxpayer money is used, is TOTALLY overspec’d now. Because 99% of users will never be able to use their super-high-bandwidth Internet connection to the max, if they don’t use it to download illegal material.

Garlic vs Apartments – Prison for TD Wallace??

Garlic vs Apartments – Prison for TD Wallace??

Do you remember the big news in March of this year? A food importer had imported garlic (which has a ridiculously high import tax) and declared it as apples. He did that for four years and the fraud allowed him to avoid EUR 1.4mio in VAT. Since 2007 he had paid back half of it, but his case was in front of a court now and he was put in prison for six (!!) years. www.jrnl.ie/379395 Can’t see that making it easier for him to get pay the rest back. In my opinion this verdict is crazy. Sure he should be penalised for his fraud, but six years of prison sentence is just madness.

Fast forward to 08 June 2012. Just 3 months later. Same country. Similar fraud. The elected parliament member TD Mick Wallace was found to have avoided a significant amount of VAT. We don’t know how much, but we know that he agreed to a settlement with the Revenue Commission for a 2.1mio underpayment of VAT over a 2 year period. Wallace is unlike the garlic importer Begley not prepared to pay anything back because his company is insolvent. In an interview he even claimed that he did not break the law, but his company did. Dohhh! This man is a member of the Irish parliament and neither the left wing group he belongs to, nor the Taoiseach is demanding his resignation. They all say it was wrong, but blabber on about it being the decision of the people who elected him, if he should resign or not. www.jrnl.ie/478230 Should Wallace not be thrown into prison too? Maybe for longer than 6 years? If 700k are equivalent to 3 years, then he should get 9 years? No, I don’t think that would be just, but many (including me) would find it just if he was kicked out of the Dail IMMEDIATELY!

Referenda – Vote YES and NO!

Referenda – Vote YES and NO!

This Thursday, together with the Presidential election, the citizens of Ireland (i.e. not me!) will be asked to vote for or against two referenda as well. One is to change the constitution so that the salary of judges can be economically adjusted, meaning REDUCED. And the other to allow the Dail (Irish Parliament) or the Seanad (Upper House) to “conduct an enquiry that they consider to be a matter of general public importance”.

I didn’t give much attention to the referenda, like most people, but today I checked the wording of the new article in the constitution and I am shocked.

The referendum about the judges pay is no problem. I would definitely vote YES. If all other employees of the state have to live with less money, then judges should too!

But the other referendum would give the Dail or Seanad more or less the same power as a court has. The principal of separating judiciary and executive powers in a democratic state is hugely important, but this article will severly impact that.

I believe the idea was to give the parliament the power to investigate issues that in the past were given to tribunals and that cost a huge amount of money and never produced any results, but I don’t think the tribunals were the right approach. Irish politicians like Lowry, Bertie Ahern and others who were dodgy as hell should have been in front of a court not in front of the members of parliament to explain their acts. It is NOT the role of a parliament to replace courts!

So I hope that it will be a clear NO to the second referendum! It has to be reworded to be acceptable.

 
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