The Birmingham Mail raged that up to 200 workers had been brought in from Spain and Portugal while there were perfectly good Brummies left on the dole. Amey is part of the Spanish contracting group, Ferrovial.
However, Amey said that only 40 of its 1,000 strong workforce on the A38 tunnels were not British nationals.
In a statement issued jointly with its client, Birmingham City Council, Amey said: “We can confirm that the number of overseas workers on the tunnels refurbishment project in Birmingham represents less than 4% of the overall workforce on the scheme, with the remaining 96% being sourced locally or from around the UK where specialist skills are required.
“Amey and Birmingham City Council encourage all subcontractors to recruit from the local area whenever possible and support the local economy.”
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