He says that life in London is hard and expensive, and that urban transport, rent and language can be barriers in making progress, although he is committed to moving forward, not for himself, but for his children.
He is a 46 year-old man from Ecuador who has escaped crisis twice. He left his country in 2000 because there was no longer any work, and a few days ago he left his family in Spain in search of a better future in the United Kingdom.
His wife and four children live in Parla, Madrid. To grow up without a father is difficult, but it is a situation that his children understand, “if I have come to London it is to be able to keep them going” he says.
“My family is no longer receiving help from the State, and my employment benefits stopped a few months ago,” says Lauro, who has hopes of giving them a better life.
This Quito native has been in London for 15 days searching for work, help and advice from other work colleagues who have been established in the city for some time.
“Life in London is hard and expensive, urban transport, rent, and language can be barriers in making progress, but I am ready to do it, not for me, but for my children”, he says.
Lauro knows that immigration is starting to become a problem in London. He has Spanish nationality now, and he doesn’t think that he is going to have problems with his visa and with his legal situation in the country, but he knows stories about others who haven’t had the same luck.
Besides, he is lucky to have Diego as a friend, an old work colleague who has spent years living in London and who has helped him start to know his way around the city, and in finding somewhere to live.
“The truth is that I am lucky to have a good friend here, if he hadn’t given me his time or help, I don’t know if I would be here today,” says Lauro, who left his country a few years ago to work in Spain in the construction sector.
At that time, Lauro worked with the head of the remodelling of the Madrid Metro, and later in the construction of the tunnels for the Spanish High Speed Trains (AVE). “They were good times, now construction is one of the sectors most affected by crisis,” he says.
Clearly he is absolutely right: the situation in Spain has only got worse, if we compare it with the years of the “brick boom” that the country went through during the Aznar and Zapatero era.
But more specifically with Aznar’s Government and the well-known Free Land Law, that initiated the crisis with the housing bubble.
“Now there are not as many jobs and the situation in Spain is complicated, even in cities like Madrid and Barcelona it was difficult to find building work.” says Lauro.
Lauro has moved to this great city with a suitcase full of memories, photos of his family, and hopes that encourage him to find a short–term solution, “now I need to find a job as soon as possible”, he says.
He wants to start work doing anything, “It wouldn’t bother me to be cleaning hotels, schools or offices. I need money to be able to pay for my room, and also to care for my family, who are still in Spain,” he explains.
(Translated by: Rachel Sharp) – Photos: Pixabay
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