London: Polish workers are already a favourite among many bosses looking to hire hard grafters, but one job advert placed on government websites seemed to rule out any chance for other nationalities.
With all the details written in Polish, the only information in English were on-screen headings which stated that it came under the category of ‘labourer’ and the location was London’s Docklands.
The advert, which appeared on the Government’s Directgov and Jobcentre Plus websites, as well as job site CV-Library.co.uk, is likely to be in breach of the Equality Act 2010. It emerged days after figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that Polish is now the second most common language in England and Wales.
The Polish advert was spotted by a young man as he looked for opportunities on one of the Government websites. The 21-year-old’s grandmother, who asked not to be named, said: “‘He was on my computer and saw there was a labourer job going, but he didn’t have a clue what it said because it was in Polish.
“‘A job like that should be open to everyone, not just those who can speak Polish.”’
The woman, 64, from Dagenham, East London, added: “There are so many people like my grandson who need work. It isn’t right that the job is being advertised to one nationality.”
CV-Library said the details of the vacancy were taken down when it realised it was in Polish. A spokesman added: “We flagged this up with the recruiter [who posted the advert], who explained that the employer who owns the construction site is a Polish man who doesn’t speak any English.
“Due to health and safety reasons he therefore needs to employ someone who speaks Polish.
“We explained that the job description needs to be written in English but he can state in it that the candidate must speak fluent Polish.”
