UK Launches Ads War on Illegal Bulgarian, Romanian Workers

06 January 2007

The British government will launch a £1 million advertising blitz next week to try to stop dodgy bosses hiring illegal workers, The Sun reported. The ads warn of jail sentences for giving work to Romanians and Bulgarians without permits.

The campaign is aimed at small firms who pay rock-bottom wages in cash to immigrants. In one, a music shop is called "Criminal Records" and a removal van sports the legend "U.R. Nicked."

Those caught employing an illegal worker face a £2,000 fine or two years in jail for exploitation.

As well as the ads, 500,000 leaflets have been sent to bosses.

Illegal workers from Bulgaria and Romania, who joined the EU on January 1, also face fines.

Immigration Minister Liam Byrne said: "The ads are designed to give bosses a stark warning. "It is their responsibility to check their workers' legal status."

According to the article Bulgarian bus companies have increased the number of trips to the UK from two a week to two a day.

A ticket agent in Sofia said: "All the buses are full this week and next."

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