Can Free Movement of Workers be Stopped?

'How can the government stem the tide of migrant workers coming to the UK?'. This question has been asked with increasing vigour by those who perceive immigration as a threat rather than a benefit to the UK economy. In this video, Catherine Barnard considers whether it is possible to restrict free movement of workers under EU law, both as it now stands and going forward.
Professor Barnard is Professor of European Union Law and Jean Monnet Chair of EU Law. She has written extensively on EU Law and Labour Law, and has been involved in advising the UK Government as part of its balance of competence review.
For more information about Professor Barnard, please refer to her profile at www.law.cam.ac.uk/people/acade...
Law in Focus is a collection of short videos featuring academics from the University of Cambridge Faculty of Law, addressing legal issues in current affairs and the news. These issues are examples of the many which challenge researchers and students studying undergraduate and postgraduate law at the Faculty.

[@LeedsUnitedJohn]

i have no problem with the Migrants from Eastern Europe. My problem is with the Businesses that have favoured them and practiced discrimination against British Workers. A few of them have told me that they won't employ British People. The C B I have even said that tbe British are Work Shy and tbe B B C repeats that Narrative all the tjme. They even made a Panarama programme where they got a Few Lazy British People to work alongside Hard Working Eastern Europeans. Also Private Landlords increased their rents because they had a larger market. We didn't have the infrastructure in place to accept so many People ie Doctors Surgery's Hospitals ect. i blame the Businesses and Private Landlords for really exploiting the whole situation. i find the Eastern European People polite and respectfull and when they work alongside the British Workers they are good friends and get along well.

[@quotation23]

Enjoyed listening to that.

[@qazzaq8336]

We wont see an influx of migration as we did in 2004? Really? Net migration into the UK in 2004 was 268k. Net migration last year was 336k, and 318k in 2014. Wake up.

[@darenmcleod2003]

Informative and very potent information indeed. Thank you

[@RiotHouseLP]

Yes, with strong border security and a strict immigration policy that only accepts immigrants who have specialties in job fields that are short on labor. Otherwise you are flooding the labor market arbitrarily and to the detriment of the working class. Its always a sad thing when a citizen loses their job because its cheaper to hire a foreign immigrant who will accept less pay. In the United States we have crops that need to be harvested, and the native citizens don't want to do it in the number needed to get the job done so we have immigrants on worker visas come over and pick the crops to make up the difference. That is a scenario where it is good. On the other hand we recently had Disney lay off 1400 workers and forced them to train their H1-B foreign workers to replace them. They laid off American citizens and put cheaper foreigners in their positions. That destroyed the income for over a thousand families, and they are citizens, not foreigners, that is a very bad scenario and its happening. Immigration policy and economic policy should ALWAYS favor the working class citizen who is dependent on salaries and wages over a companies ability to replace them with cheaper immigrant labor or to use corporate inversion and move out of country. Domestic wages and prices for labor in richer countries can never compete with the cheap labor of poor countries, so instead of allowing the free movement of labor across national boundaries and sending our economies into a spiral of stagnant wages and labor market saturation we should treat our domestic workers with the privilege they have of living in their home country and having a right to compete fairly with their fellow citizens, instead of migrants.

[@oengusmacairem2028]

Free movement for workers is fine free movement of benefit scroungers is not, lets get out.

[@hedgley]

there is great infomration there but sadly you wont look at the camera and it is most disconcerting as a result im not engaged, which is a real pity

[@ruthbashford3176]

I don't think British workers are queuing up to work in Eastern European countries...

[@clickaccept]

I've been to Australia and China too. I can, if needed, fill in a bloody form! If you are only able to speak to children, then perhaps primary education is where you belong.

[@mussepiggvar318]

It can - but first we need to leave EU!

[@ruthbashford3176]

It's good Britain has left the EU.