East Europeans underbidding Brits for contracts in Iraq

Guardian:

First came the Polish plumbers, overturning the natural order by tackling U-bends in a more reliable and affordable way than their established British rivals. Now there is another field in which east Europeans are driving well-paid Brits out of work - on the frontline in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The market in which ex-military can earn six-figure sums as private security guards overseas is drying up, with salaries in sharp decline and contracts increasingly being offered to cheaper foreign soldiers, the Guardian has learned.

The National Association of Security Professionals (Nasp), an organisation for those working in the private security industry, said former British soldiers are being laid off by companies in Iraq who are turning to east Europeans instead. The number of Britons providing security in Iraq has fallen from a peak of about 5,000 in 2004-05 to nearer 2,000 this year.

Mark Shurben-Browne, a director of Nasp, said the market had reached saturation point, with companies receiving 10-20 CVs a day. But many firms were trying to reduce costs by hiring staff from eastern Europe, particularly Serbs and Croats.

"One company sacked half their British workforce and replaced them with cheaper guys with a special forces background from eastern Europe," said Shurben-Browne.

"The companies are mixing the teams up, keeping two or three expat or British guys on in a team with the rest from eastern Europe."

...

Changing conditions on the ground in Iraq have also had an impact on wages. Firstly, heavy insurgent attacks after the 2005 elections meant a lot of firms cut back because they could not send staff outside the safe zones. Now, with a reduction in enemy activity in Iraq and Iraqi security forces taking a more active role, there has been an impact on demand from private security firms. "Jobs are hard to come by now," Shurben-Browne said.

...

This seems to be more evidence that we are winning the war in Iraq. I wonder if Joe the Plumber is Polish?

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