Robinson warns over cheap labour
Saturday October 21 2006
Increasing immigration was one of the biggest challenges facing the country, she said, but we must realise that this change was a gain for modern Ireland.
The former President was speaking in Oviedo in northern Spain where she received the prestigious Prince of Asturias Award, the country's equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
Other recipients yesterday included Bill and Melinda Gates, the author Paul Auster and the film director Pedro Almodovar.
Mrs Robinson, who is now head of the New York-based Ethical Globalization Initiative, said: "I think we are facing a quick challenge for a country to change from one which has understood itself as a country of emigration."
She added: "There are economic implications, but I think it's clear that the migrants who come are actually helping part of the Irish economy."
Mrs Robinson received the award for Social Sciences.
She warned that it was "very important that employers don't exploit the potential of cheap labour at a standard that's not acceptable". This was "a problem that needs to be addressed".
Mrs Robinson, whose many current roles include being president of the Council of Women World Leaders, also said that Ireland must make child-care more of a priority in order to support women in the workforce.
- Samantha McCaughren
