COVID-19 Poles are not a problem here
Authors: Natasza Bogacz project coordinator and Kristin Velure Strøm adviser at Caritas Norge
SłWe are talking about a nurse who has lived in Norway for years and who is now afraid to go to the store in her small town. About an employee whose clients look askance when he says he is from Poland.
On wallpaper
Coronavirus infections among Polish economic immigrants is a topic that is devoted to In Norway a lot of attention lately. And for good reason. The situation is serious and we need effective solutions. But we must Too understand what mechanisms are behind the spread of the virus in this group - bo thanks to this, we will understand how we can prevent further infections.
Caritas
As an organization of the Catholic Church, Caritas is well known among Polish people immigrants. Since the beginning of the pandemic in Norway, our organization has been trying to reach out to various groups of immigrants with information. Understandably, our efforts recently focused on Poles. Need reliable information is large because we observe enormous misunderstandings about the quarantine rules, test requirements and entry conditions to Norway.
COVID-19 Poles are not a problem here
We meet many Poles who have experiencedthat stigmatizedthey are consumed as a carrieri virus. This also applies to vols osohwho have settled in Norway permanently a this year they did not go to Poland even once. We hear about the case of a nurse who has lived in Norway for years and who is now afraid to go to the store in her small town, because people are going to the cash register as soon as they see her, she is pointed with her fingers. We hear about an employee whose clients look askance when he says he is from Poland. About a mother who has to explain to her children that they won't get infected with the crown just because they're from Poland, even though schoolchildren say that Poles are contagious.
It should not be like that. Scapegoating of individual groups erodes trust throughout society.
Poles are by far the largest immigrant group in Norway, but it is by no means a homogeneous group. Many of them have settled here permanently, speak Norwegian and have children in local schools and kindergartens. They constitute a group that is largely integrated into Norwegian society and the labor market, Ga rupa that follows the news and announcements of Norwegian authorities.
Work in a rotational system
Other Poles work in Norway, but their "proper life" takes place in Poland, where their wives and children live. Thus, in Norwegian shipyards, construction sites and in the transport industry, working in a rotational system is a common phenomenon. Employees then move back and forth between Poland and Norway because that is their contract. And this is how you work for years. These workers do not follow Norwegian news channels, but can be reached through employers.
Self-employed, gray economy
Finally, there is a third, large group of Poles who do not work in rotation. They work through smaller intermediary offices, on self-employment or find work in the gray zone. They often have no job security, live with other workers and speak neither Norwegian nor English. Taci people live all over Norway, in almost every commune. Their families live in Poland, so they drive themselves tam every time they get off. This group is not so easy to reach by traditional means.
COVID-19 Poles are not a problem here
Many Poles became infected while in Poland. There, the numbers of infected people are many times greater than in Norway. Most likely, the real number of infected people is also much higher than given, since we know that approx. 45 percent done last week in Poland tests on covid-19 gives a positive result. In Norway, the figure is three percent.
More testing is needed
The import of infections from Poland has caused local outbreaks of the virus in enterprises employing many Polish workers. An example of this is the shipyard in Hyllestad. That is why it is important that the government considered tightening testing and quarantine requirements for this group.
But at the same time it must be said that such high numbers of infections among Poles in Norway are not the result zbad morality or irresponsibility. The point is that many people move between Norway and Poland. The reason is simple, this is what their job is like, or because they want to spend time with their children. We also meet many people who actually postpone their departure.
We are in Norway because they need us
The coronavirus pandemic has shown Norwegians how dependent they are on incoming labor, be it strawberry pickers or shipbuilders. And at the same time we have it here a system that does not give these workers the right to learn the language or other integration support measures. These workers are on their own. And many get along. But those who have a family in Poland and perhaps do not feel like part of Norwegian society are coping to a lesser extent. Many people have neither the time nor the money for a Norwegian course. Their priority is work. Their network of contacts in Norway does not extend beyond the circle of work and their main source of information is the Polish media. The Norwegian authorities cannot use the same channels to contact them as they communicate to Norwegian-speaking residents of the country.
Dissemination of information
These groups should be provided with information in Polish at airports and ferries. And in cooperation with the Polish media and through social media.
Employers are also an important channel. We have the impression that larger companies take this task seriously. At the same time, they use their resources to comply with quarantine rules and infection prevention measures. Unfortunately, this cannot be said for all employers.
Break the quarantine rules!
In our work at Caritas, we meet Poles who are exploited during this pandemic, who are expected by the employer to break the quarantine rules, or whose living conditions do not allow them to adapt to the rules limiting infection. Many of them work on precarious contracts, at low wages and under conditions that no Norwegian would agree to. Their choice is in practice limited. There are no simple solutions here, but for this group, action should also be taken.
Integration
In the long run, better integration of foreign workers is in the interests of both themselves and Norwegian society. It would be good if the employees who have been working here for many years had better knowledge of the local system. It is important that they speak better Norwegian. Thus, their position in a meeting with a dishonest employer will be stronger. It will also be easier for them to participate in social life and it will be easier for the Norwegian authorities to reach them with information in situation crisisthat.
COVID-19 Poles are not a problem here
We must have solutions and short, and long-term, and they must be solutions smart. But scapegoating Poles does not help. They are not tu problem. On the contrary, they should be commended for helping us keep in motion, this machine, which is the Norwegian economy, which is constantly struggling with COVID-19.
