David Hanson, Labour’s Shadow Immigration Minister, responding to reports in today’s Daily Mail that firms and organisations are recruiting Romanian workers ahead of the end of transition controls in Januray 2014, said:

“Action is needed to reform the labour market in this country so everyone can benefit and local workers are not excluded from job opportunities or training.

"If agencies or employers feel they can advertise and target workers only in Bucharest and exclude local workers from those opportunities then action is needed.

"The Government has and is continuing to fail to address the exploitation of low-skilled immigration in the labour market.

“That’s why we are setting out sensible and practical policies and putting forward amendments to the Government’s own immigration bill. At a time when there is real pressure from a cost of living crisis, people are really concerned that low-skilled immigration is being exploited to undercut wages and in some cases that they are frozen out of job opportunities if only advertised overseas.

"We need a system that is fair for all and a labour market that works for all. That’s why we need practical measures to close loopholes in the minimum wage, or deal with agencies recruiting only from abroad, or gangmasters exploiting illegal labour.

"We will ban agencies only recruiting from abroad and make sure migrants are not exploited leading to the undercutting of local workers and legitimate businesses. We will also ensure that if companies do want to bring in someone from abroad for a role then they are committed to training local workers as well.”