Boom in workers from Poland

This follows what I posted recently about my editor’s obsession with Polish headlines but in this case it was accurate.

I had only been at the Scarborough Evening News for a few weeks in 2006 when he asked me to focus on the Polish community.

Following the recent expansion of the EU many communities across the UK were welcoming workers from Poland and other Eastern European countries and North Yorkshire was no different.

Starting from scratch I had to identify local businesses which were employing Poles, as well as how they were being accepted with local shops stocking Polish food, and schools responding to new demands by catering for pupils who have moved with their parents to the UK from the European Union.

It was quite a good exercise in building contacts and the end result was quite good – as well the front page splash it made for a further three pages inside the paper.

I even found a couple who were from the same town but did not actually meet until they arrived in Scarborough.

THE number of Polish people who have arrived in Scarborough to find work has rocketed by 750 per cent in the past year.

They are now playing a significant part in the Scarborough economy, including in hotels, restaurants, construction and factories, as well as dentists and health workers.

Government figures show there were 20 National Insurance registrations for Polish nationals living in Scarborough in the year 2004 to 2005, but in the year 2005 to 2006 the figure increased dramatically to 150.

Shops in the town have even started stocking food from Poland to satisfy a local demand.

Staff at the town’s library noticed an increased number of Poles using the facilities and they introduced a collection of Polish books.

They have also noticed more Polish language courses being borrowed as people tried to learn the language to communicate with new friends or colleagues.

Scarborough’s MP Robert Goodwill said the Polish visitors to the town were a welcome addition to the community. He said: “It’s been a very positive aspect to life in Scarborough. They have reasonable skills and are reliable labour.”

Scarborough Council has also welcomed Polish workers and recognised the useful contribution they could make.

Council leader Cllr Tom Fox said: “We welcome everybody who chooses to make their home here while contributing to the community through their hard work, skills, knowledge and traditions.

“The Polish community is especially welcome as so many bring a wealth of skills, honesty and a hard work ethic with them, and they add much to the community and the cultural diversity of the area.”

An Opera House Casino spokeswoman said it had several Polish workers. “The Polish employees we have are excellent. They are all enthusiastic and hard working and their customer service skills are great.”

The Golden Grid Fish Restaurant is one business in Scarborough which has benefited by employing Polish staff.

John Senior, of the Golden Grid restaurant, said they had been an asset to the business, as well as many others in the town.

He said: “The Polish staff have made a difference to businesses here. Today there is a shortage of British workers who want to undertake catering work.”

Mr Senior described the Polish staff as “extremely hard working individuals” and said recent legislation had made it difficult to employ teenage workers.

He said: “We employed a lot of Polish students, they were very good, we are thankful for them. A lot of staff have swapped emails with them and kept in touch.

“The English staff have enjoyed having them here. It provides a different view of life. It is young people working together and learning together.”

Hard-working Poles bring wealth of skills

GOVERNMENT figures show there were 20 National Insurance number registrations for Polish nationals living in Scarborough in the year 2004 to 2005.

By 2005 to 2006 this figure had increased dramatically to 150 – a rise of 750 per cent.

Many have found work in businesses such as factories, hotels and pubs, and they have also filled a local skills gap, such as dentists and health workers.

Scarborough’s MP Robert Goodwill said: “It’s been a very positive aspect to life in Scarborough. They have got reasonable skills and are reliable labour.”

Scarborough Council has welcomed the new members of the community and recognises the useful contribution they could make.

Council leader Cllr Tom Fox said: “The Polish community is especially welcome as so many bring a wealth of skills, honesty and a hard work ethic with them, and they add much to the community and the cultural diversity of the area.”

Scarborough Library has stocked a collection of books in Polish and the range of 100 titles covers both fiction and non-fiction.

Library staff have noticed an increased number of customers from Poland using facilities for information and to e-mail friends and relatives at home.

They have also noticed an increase in the number of Polish language courses being borrowed as people try to learn the language to communicate better with new friends or colleagues.

North Yorkshire County Cllr Chris Metcalfe, the executive member for adult and community services, said: “It is important that services reflect local demand.

“This collection is a valuable addition to the services provided by North Yorkshire’s libraries, which always strive to welcome everyone and provide the appropriate services to meet local need.”

Polish people also found the town’s banks were very helpful when they arrived and made it easy for them to sort out their finances.

A spokeswoman for Lloyds TSB said: “The Polish community is a growing part of the Scarborough workforce and we’ve been working closely with local employers to help open bank accounts for staff who’ve recently arrived in the UK.

“For many, finding the time to open an account can be difficult due to the hours they work. So, to make life easier, we’ve been as flexible as possible meeting with people at times and places which suit them.

“We hope to welcome even more new Polish customers to the bank over the coming months.”

An Opera House Casino spokeswoman confirmed the company employed several Polish workers.

She said: “The Polish employees we have are excellent. They are all enthusiastic and hard working and their customer service skills are great.”

Polish people are also taking part in local sporting activities, and recently Scarborough Pirates rugby league team fielded four team members.

Adam had expected to work in London

WHEN Adam Jalbrzykowski applied for a job in the UK he thought he would be working in London and had not even heard of Scarborough.

He had travelled from his home village of Cerkiewnik, in north east Poland, after having an interview for a job in a holiday park.

But his coach travelled further north and he was wondering where he would end up.

His destination was Haven Blue Dolphin, near Filey.

The qualified teacher said: “When I asked them about the job I said I wanted to work near London because I have lots of friends there. I spent five hours on the bus, but it was a good choice for me. I prefer this place, it’s quiet and the people are nice.”

He added: “I think people have made me welcome, very much. My first landlady is very nice and I still have contact with her to this day.”

Mr Jalbrzykowski, who now works as a waiter at the Royal Hotel in Scarborough, said he found the Yorkshire accent difficult at first because he had been taught “international English”.

He said: “When I came here I realised the way people spoke was different and I needed to learn more.”

Since his arrival he has gained a Certificate of Advanced English and was due to start helping at St Peter’s RC Primary School.

He added he was better off working in England. “The wages are better here – here I am better off. It’s different in Poland, things are a lot cheaper, here everything’s more expensive.”

When he first arrived in England he admitted he was homesick, but can take advantage of cheap telephone calls to his family.

His work at the hotel is convenient, because the shifts can be arranged to suit his studies. He said: “I serve food, set up tables and be nice to guests. My manager is very good, I like him.”

Simon Powell, the hotel’s general manager, said he valued the contribution Polish workers made to the team.

He said: “They are absolutely excellent, hard workers. Nothing is too much trouble for them. They are prepared to work whatever hours they can. They are hungry for work. Some of them are professionals in their own right.”

Taste of home – at Lord Rosebury

MAGDALENA Kiliszek has a special affinity with the beer she sells in the Lord Rosebery pub in Scarborough – it is from her home country of Poland.

The pub is very popular with the Polish community because it stocks three Polish bottled beers and one from Lithuania.

Miss Kiliszek was brought up in her home town of Goleniow and travelled to improve her English and work at the Primrose Valley Holiday Park, near Filey, in May last year.

She said: “My English wasn’t very good last year. I couldn’t understand anything and I had problems to say something.

“It was really hard but now it’s better. For me my English isn’t good enough, it’s still a problem for me.”

However, she said she was now a more confident speaker and people had helped by teaching her the correct English.

Miss Kiliszek has been working at the pub for four months and it only took her a few days to find the job. “Before I was working in a restaurant. All my life I have been serving customers,” she said.

She added she liked Scarborough because it was similar to her home town, and said: “Manchester is too big for me, everyone is too far away. If you don’t have a car you have a big problem.”

Miss Kiliszek has recently moved to a property in Albion Crescent and shares with several other Polish people.

She has only been back to Poland for holidays and said: “Nothing’s changed, it’s still really hard to live there. It’s a really big problem to find a job. It’s better to come to England, life is easier here.”

She said she hoped to go to university but thought her English was not good enough. Eventually she wanted to be a teacher.

“I can’t imagine being in an office for eight hours a day, looking at a computer, it’s not fun enough,” she said.

Bruce Parker, a shift manager at the Lord Rosebery, said Miss Kiliszek was “absolutely excellent” and a very hard worker.

He said: “She is an asset to the company and to the pub. We are very lucky to have her. She is a fun, bubbly person.”

Mr Parker added language was not a problem because she spoke very good English.

First lesson is – English!

SCHOOLS in the Scarborough area are responding to new demands by catering for pupils who have moved with their parents to the UK from the European Union.

In recent months there has been a marked increase in people from Poland coming to the area and their children have to continue their education.

One school which has risen to the challenge is St Augustine’s RC School, in Sandybed Lane, which has 16 pupils from the European mainland.

The countries which the youngsters have come from include Poland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Slovakia.

Twins Jakub and Bartosz Sobczak, aged 13, came to Scarborough with their father Mirek, an engineer from Wodzislaw Slaski.

Since coming to the town Bartosz has become very good at maths and his brother was named the high jump champion of the school. Jakob said: “We came here because my dad wanted to work here as an electrical engineer.”

He added his father acted as interpreter for the town’s mayor and MP at public meetings with Polish people.

Jakub wanted to learn to speak better English “because a lot of countries speak English”.

Bartosz said they had moved here about six months ago, just after their birthday. He said: “There are more people in this town.”

Before coming to the UK he had learned English for five years. “I did not speak very good English when I came here, but after five months I speak it much better.”

Bartosz said England was a popular destination for Europeans wanting to work here, because the wages were better. He added that the education system was different to Poland’s.

“When I came here, in Poland I was in primary school, now I will be in secondary. Here is a much better school.

“There are 300 computers, but in my old school there were only 20 computers.”

Maria Kocourkova, 13, a fellow pupil originally from Metylovice, in the Czech Republic, had travelled to Scarborough when her father came here to work as a dentist.

She said it was difficult to continue her studies when she first arrived, but other pupils had helped her improve her language skills.

She said: “It was really hard to learn subjects, but you learn easier with other young people.”

Maria had also noticed a difference in the education system in Scarborough, compared with that of the Czech Republic.

She said: “It’s harder to learn in the Czech Republic, it’s really different, really hard.”

Pole points

• Poland gained EU membership on May 1, 2004;
• The main language is Polish and other popular languages include English, German, Russian and French;
• It is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time;
• It uses the metric system and the currency is the zloty, where one zloty is equal to 100 grosz;
• Poland is located in the heart of Europe and covers an area of 312,700 square km;
• its boundaries are formed by the Baltic Sea to the north, Germany to the west, the Czech and Slovak Republics to the south and Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania and Russia to the east;
• Poland has 38 million inhabitants, 1,650,000 of who live in the capital city of Warsaw (Warszawa) and other major cities, such as Cracow (Krakow), Gdansk, Poznan, Lodz, Szczecin, and Wroclaw;
• Poland is a parliamentary republic and is divided into 16 administrative provinces (województwa);
• Since 1989, the country has been undergoing an important transformation into a market economy.

Polish food goes down well

BUSINESSES in Scarborough are responding to an increased demand by stocking food from Poland.

Both Trafalgar Stores in Trafalgar Square and Seasons food and wine shop in Valley Bridge Road have started stocking items such as Polish bread, cakes, sauerkraut and even strawberry flavoured crisps.

Lorraine Flynn, a shop assistant at Trafalgar Stores, said the new lines had proved very popular because there were a lot of Polish people living nearby.

She said: “It was something they asked for. The owner managed to track some down and we are getting it through the cash and carry.

“Since we have started stocking it the word has spread. I don’t think we are the first shop in Scarborough to stock it.”

She added the food included pork stew, stuffed cabbage in tomato sauce, apple and mint juice and strawberry flavoured crisps.

She said: “Some of our English customers are getting brave and buying some of the things. The reports that came back said they liked it.”

The Polish customers were very helpful when they were asked how the various foods were cooked.

Gilly Alexander, the manager of Seasons, said she had also noticed a demand for Polish food, particularly bread and cakes.

She added they had recently changed a supplier and were now using a Polish baker who could produce authentic loaves and cakes.

Mrs Alexander said: “It’s nice for us as well, a good introduction. We have found it’s not just the Polish people who are buying it.”

She added that the shop also had a wish-list where people could place their orders, usually with 48 hours notice. She said: “The bread they have found hard to get.

“They were quite excited when we could get it for them, and they were even more excited there was a Polish baker.

“We are going to try and put things on taste, so other people can try it.”

Same-town couple met in Scarborough

IN THE run-up to Halloween and Bonfire Night Monika Markun and Karol Mielczarski helped make half a million toffee apples.

Despite coming from the same Polish town of Elblag, the couple did not get together until they met in Scarborough.

Mr Mielczarski, 24, said his home town was bigger than Scarborough and had about 120,000 residents, which explained why the couple had not met in Poland.

He added that he had arrived in England by accident and decided to try to find work here, after spending some time travelling around Europe.

He said: “I came to Leeds and was there about a month. I came here just to see the sea and the castle, because Leeds isn’t a very interesting place.”

Mr Mielczarski said they were both working at Confectionery Craft, in Sherwood Street, and a lot of his jobs had been temporary, so he was prepared to move where the work was.

He said: “After this I might move to London with other friends. But if another job came up I’d probably stay here.”

Miss Markun, 23, said she had been in the UK for almost two years and originally came here to visit her friends.

She said Scarborough was similar to her home town, because it was beside the sea. “The people are very nice, they are always smiling, they always say ‘hello’.

“They speak with you even if they don’t know you are Polish. When I came to England, I didn’t know much English at all.”

She said when she arrived in the town she got her first job and the other members of staff had helped her to improve her English. “They would try to show me, saying what things were called,” she said.

She added it took her about eight months to get over her fear of making a mistake when she spoke to others.

John Grimshaw, a director at Confectionery Craft, said his Polish workers were very reliable and hard working and fitted in well with the rest of his workforce.

He said: “They come here for employment. There could be a language barrier, but fortunately a majority of them speak good English.”

Getting to grips with Yorkshire dialect

A MAJOR barrier for most Polish people arriving in the UK is communication and making themselves understood.

To tackle this problem special language courses have been set up in schools and colleges in the town and have proved so popular they have lists of people waiting to learn.

Roger Cannon, headteacher at St Augustine’s RC School, said the language course at the school had proved so popular he was hoping to take on another tutor.

He said there were 16 pupils from the European mainland at the school and many parents attended the evening course to learn English as a second language. “Some of the adults were becoming isolated because of a lack of language skills.”

He said Polish people had become part of the Scarborough community.

Stuart Tonnar, an English for speakers of other languages tutor, said 30 Polish people were waiting to join his course.

He said: “A lot of times they have the ability to speak English but they are shy, they are frightened to make a mistake.”

Lucyna Jurczyk, 27, was attending the class with her husband Dariusz, 37. They had come to Scarborough from their home town of Malbork, about 57km from Gdansk.

The care assistant said at first she had problems understanding the Yorkshire accent. “People in Scarborough speak the Yorkshire dialect and it’s very, very hard. I knew the English language before, but now it’s much better.”

Pascale Rigley was born in France and now works as a language tutor at Yorkshire Coast College. She said she taught almost 100 students and about 60 per cent were from Poland.

She said: “Most come to improve their English because they want to integrate into the community. They are coming here because they want to – we don’t force them.”

Her courses covered areas of everyday English and skills, such as letter writing. “Beginners learn things that we take for granted, like going shopping.”

She added the time taken to become fluent depended on the person, but it could take as little as a year.

A quick guide to the Polish language

POLISH is pronounced phonetically and the second-to-last syllable is always stressed.

English to Polish translations:

• Yes: Tak – pronounced tack;
• No: Nie – pronounced as in nyeh-nyeh-na-na-na;
• OK: Dobrze – “dough” plus a “b” then “shuh”;
• Excuse me: Przepraszam – “p” merges into “shey” followed by “pra” and “shem”;
• What: Co – often used like an English what and pronounced “tso”;
• Where: Gdzie – “guh” and “jay”;
• When: Kiedy – “key-yehdey”;
• Who: Kto – “k” and “toe”;
• Why: Dlaczego – “dlah” and “che” and “go”;
• How: Jak – just like “tock” but with a “y”;
• Good day: Dzien dobry – “jean” and “dough” plus “bree” like the cheese;
• Hi: Czesc – use this one on friends only, “chay shch” but run it all together as one sound;
• Goodbye: Do widzenia – “dough” and “wid zen ya” comes close enough;
• I don’t speak Polish: Nie mowie po polsku – “nie” as above, “movie” then “po” as in really poor, and “pole sku”;
• I don’t understand: Nie rozumiem – “nie” and “row zoo me m”;
• Help me please: Prosze mi pomoc – “mi” sounds just like “me” in English and “po moats” means help;
• Please write that down: Prosze to napisac – “prosze” as above then “toe” which means it, and end with “nah pee sach” which means write.

From the Scarborough Evening News on Thursday, November 16, 2006.