Opposition to stricter rules for asylum seekers

Several politicians in Stavanger strongly disagree with the Government’s tightened restrictions for rejected asylum seekers, who under new rules will not be allowed to work in Norway while waiting to leave the country.

Asylum seekers that have applied for permanent residency in Norway have often been working for several years when they find out that their application has been rejected. With the new rules in place, they will lose their jobs and have to move back to the asylum centre and wait to return home.

"I feel inspired by parties such as the Labour Party, the Left Wing and other parties in Trondheim that have the courage to speak up against the Government," Per A. Thorbj¯rnsen, Leader of the Left Wing’s Department of Living in Stavanger, tells NRK. He wants those without papers to still have a dignified life while they wait to leave Norway.

Employers also feel the effects of the new legislation - a sudden shortage of workers. Thorbjørn Edvardsen, the manager of a cleaning company in Eastern Norway, says that they have already lost 1/3 of their workers as a result of the new legislation. "Recruitment has been very challenging due to Norway’s low unemployment rate," Edvardsen told NRK. "I doubt any Norwegians will want to clean."

State Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Pål Lønseth, has a different perspective: "I doubt that employers will find it very hard to find people for these jobs," he says. The Norwegian labour market isn’t so tight that companies have to go out and hire illegal workers for the positions. "

In Trondheim, the rules are already changing. Last week, the city council agreed to give asylum seekers the right to continue to work while they are waiting to leave the country. The Municipal Executive Board in Stavanger is scheduled to process the case shortly.

(NRK)

Written by Julie Ryland

Saturday, 08 October 2011 07:14