Articles
The Polish plumber, Vienna style
„The Polish people didn’t come today” a Romanian with a cheerful smile says. As morning traffic passes by on the busy Viennese Trieststrasse, the narrow pavement is filled with dark-skinned guys. At last one of them points out two men a couple of steps down the road: “They might be from Poland”.
„So this is the best place to get a job, isn’t it?”, we shyly ask. Under normal circumstances - read: in our homeland - we are not accustomed to accost strangers. But if you are an emigrant, the relations between people may change a bit. The fact that we are all speaking the same language creates a community feeling and gives us support.
„A Job? Yeah, but not really for women”, a dark-haired man smoking a cigarette replies. The second one is more talkative, asks us who we are and claims that the only work you can get here is as a construction worker. This way of looking for a job, waiting on the side of the street is rather tiring and no guarantee for success, but all the men here think it’s worth it. If we are looking for jobs for women they advice us to visit Rennweg, home to the most popular church with Polish-language masses
Church leaflet
It’s Sunday noon and the church is packed to the rafters, some of the people even have to stand outside, as the sound of religious hymns pours out onto the street. Around the church there’s always something going on – leaflets and free newspapers are distributed, transport vans are waiting for passengers and boxes to drive to Poland. A few steps further there is a shop with frozen dumplings, all kinds of Polish alcohol, papers, sweets and so on. The window is covered up with small papers stuck to the glass. “Young plasterer with language knowledge is looking for a job; plumber, electrician; babysitter. Have free room to rent; need a flat in 16. Bezirk.” People getting out of church pause for a moment in front of this unusual Local Information Centre.
A babysitter can earn up to 8 euro an hour a construction worker without papers even 12. Mateusz, a teenager who is handing out flyers, gets 7 euro an hour. Although both countries are in the EU, Austria didn’t fully open up its market for Polish workers. There are several limits, like national quota, time limits and the need for a formal permission from employers. All these inconveniences open up the way for illegal employment.
Community feeling
On the leaflet from Mateusz we read: “Without improving your language, you’ll be excluded”. Those words sum up the philosophy of Ryszard’s life. He’s been living in Vienna for over twenty years and established language courses specifically targeted to Poles. He stresses that in Austrian society it is impossible to create a community if you can’t speak a word of German: “They’ll never be treated seriously and equally, they will still stay in a lower social status, in a closed Polish Diaspora”. But he understands the mechanism of this process of exclusion. Immigrants come here with small financial means – first of all it’s important for them to find any kind of work, even if it is below their qualifications. “They first need something to eat, then somewhere to live and only after that they will think about culture”.
Together with Ryszard we go down the street behind the church. We pass open windows of the tenement house and hear the jangling sound of cutlery. The air is filled with the distinct smell of school canteen food. According to Ryszard “Immigrants feel intimidated and lost, they long for the warmth of a community feeling”. That’s why Polish masses are so crowded. Near each Polish church there is a kind of cafeteria where people can have a dinner with other countrymen. The large number of customers queuing at the canteen shows the popularity of the system.
Second-class citizens
A salesman from a Polish shop in Vienna says there is no real centre of or for the Polish community in the Austrian capital. Although Poles meet in church or at a Polish disco. They also lack good organization or a successful integration pattern. Ryszard agrees with this and points out the insufficient activity of the Polish Institute in Vienna.
What is it like to be an immigrant from Poland? Currently Poland is a frustrating place for him. He wish he could live in another country. “Polish people do not learn French courtesy or Italian gallantry. Instead, our society undergoes American pauperisation”, Ryszard comments. At first many of the Polish immigrants stay for only a couple of months. But unfortunately seasonal work changes into a longer period, whereas the attitude to local culture doesn’t change. They treat it superficially and don’t regard it as useful. In that respect the process of integration is actually unrealizable.
The groups of Polish and Romanian workers are standing on the pavement one to another. It’s said that Polish guys more easily find a job because the employers have a good opinion of them, like that they are better educated and more reliable. But these positive notions don’t change their social status. In the back of their mind they still feel like second-class citizens.
Posted in | 08.07.09
powered by
cooperation
developed during
