BRITONS working in continental Europe have decided they will probably not strike in sympathy with their fellow countrymen.
British builders in Spain, Portugal, France and Italy said they would be forced to support EU employment directives as long as it meant they could work wherever they wanted to without having to pay tax.
Bill McKay, a bricklayer from Lincolnshire, said: "I firmly believe in British jobs for British workers. But I'm also a passionate supporter of something called Spanish jobs for British workers.
"In the past five years I've had Portuguese jobs, Italian jobs and even a couple of French jobs. None of the locals seemed to object. Then again I only know the foreign words for 'beer' and 'prostitute'."
The temporary employment of some Italians by a French oil company has led to a national outcry with many newspapers saying it must have something to do with the millions of Afghan scroungers clogging Britain's country roads in their state-funded Aston Martins.
Meanwhile prime minister Gordon Brown insisted his pledge of 'British jobs for British workers' had been misinterpreted, adding: "Essentially, what I was saying was that workers in Britain would be, err, working in a very British sense, resulting in well, you know, things, and that sort of stuff."
Business secretary Lord Mandelson has also reached out to the protesters saying he needs some people to serve canapés at a drinks party he is having next weekend.
He added: "Five pounds an hour, a fifteen minute break and you will of course be completely naked apart from a long, white apron and a bow tie."
