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THE SCOTTISH government will target ethnic minorities with its skills strategy after union leaders held a meeting with ministers to express fears that they would be first in the firing line during a recession.

Stewart Maxwell, the communities minister, said funding for the SNP government’s racial equality strategy would be announced “imminently”, and that the skills programme would target areas with shortages of particular groups of workers. He added: “We must make sure people don’t use the economic downturn as an excuse to maltreat one particular group.”

The announcement follows a recent meeting between the STUC’s black workers’ committee, Maxwell and Lesley Irving, the head of the government’s race, religion and refugees integration team, in which the committee raised its concerns about the possible impact of the credit crunch on black and minority ethnic (BME) workers.

advertisementDavidson Chademana, a member of the black workers’ committee, said: “There is a very real feeling within BME communities that black workers will be the first victims of any economic downturn. Those who do remain in jobs will be in areas of low pay and poor conditions, a multiple exploitation of sorts.

“We have to be wary of any polarisation within the workforce, where economic hardship may breed racism and prejudice.”

Mary Senior, assistant secretary to the committee, said that BME workers felt they were now at greater risk because many are on temporary contracts and employed below their skill levels in sectors with a higher turnover of staff.

She added that some employers wrongly believed migrant workers had an unclear legal status, and that BME workers claim to have faced greater racial prejudice from the wider community and in the workplace during periods of higher unemployment. They also already face unemployment rates twice as high as white Scots.

Maxwell, who has been invited to speak at the black workers’ committee annual conference in October, added: “We have a clear view that economic success depends on getting the maximum out of all the people in Scotland, not certain groups, and groups shouldn’t suffer disproportionately, whether ethnic minorities or in terms of gender.”

CBI Scotland’s assistant director David Lonsdale said companies were heading for “choppier economic waters”, with construction companies - many of which rely on migrant workers - finding it particularly tough.

But he added: “For those firms forced to make redundancies because of poor market conditions, this will be done in line with where the firm can best absorb a reduction in manpower and will have no link whatsoever to an employee’s ethnicity.

“Employers are well aware of the legal requirements on them to treat staff equally, irrespective of their ethnic origin, and if there is any failure to adhere to this, they will rightly be brought to book.”

http://www.sundayherald.com/business/businessnews/display.var.2381262.0.fears_minority_staff_will_suffer_in_recession.php

Anil Dawar guardian.co.uk, Thursday March 27 2008

The UK’s asylum system is “marred by inhumanity” and “not yet fit for purpose”, the most comprehensive study ever conducted into its workings has found.

A report published today by the Independent Asylum Commission found the treatment of asylum seekers coming to this country fell “seriously below” the standards of a civilised society.

The year-long study of the work of the Border and Immigration Agency, led by former appeal court judge Sir John Waite, said the system denied sanctuary to some in need and failed to remove others who should go.

It called the treatment of some asylum seekers a “blemish” on the UK’s international reputation.

The Border and Immigration Agency has refuted the report, claiming it operated a “firm but humane” system.

The commission was established in 2006 after the then home secretary John Reid branded the immigration system “unfit for purpose”.

It took testimonies from every sector of society, including former home secretaries, policy makers, charities, asylum seekers, police, local authorities, and citizens.

The findings highlighted three particular areas of concern: The use of detention centres, especially to hold children, pregnant women and torture victims; the often brutal handling of removals; and the use of destitution as a tool to drive claimants out of the country.

Waite said: “The overuse of detention, the scale of destitution and the severity of removals are all areas which need attention before the system can be described as fit for purpose”.

Commenting on the common practice of locking up refugees, the report said: “The detention of asylum-seekers is overused, oppressive and an unnecessary burden on the taxpayer,” and branded the detention of children “wholly unjustified”.

“The system still denies sanctuary to some who genuinely need it and ought to be entitled to it, is not firm enough in returning those whose claims are refused and is marred by inhumanity in its treatment of the vulnerable.”

Waite went on to call for “a thorough re-examination” of the detention and bail system, which treated asylum seekers as criminals.

“The justification for such a system is the fear of absconding, and that fear is, in our opinion, grossly exaggerated,” he said.

Border officials, the report found, did not give enough consideration to factors such as post-traumatic stress in initial interviews.

“Some of those seeking sanctuary, particularly women, children and torture survivors, have additional vulnerabilities that are not being appropriately addressed,” it said.

Other issues highlighted in the report included the fact that many genuine claims were being overlooked because of cuts in the legal aid budget which have made it more difficult to find lawyers for complex cases.

And some private security firms were described by the commission as carrying out removals with “unnecessary violence and carelessness”.

Government figures reveal there were 23,430 asylum applications in 2007, the lowest for 14 years, and a quarter of the record set in 2002.

Today’s report presented the commission’s interim findings. Further reports will be published in May, June and July, including recommendations on reform of the system.

Donna Covey, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: “This is an important set of findings from an independent commission, which presents overwhelming evidence that the asylum system is still not fit for purpose.

“We must treat people with basic decency, and the system must get asylum decisions right – they are a matter of life and death.”

Responding to the report, Lin Homer, head of the Border and Immigration Agency, said: “The claims made in this report are not based on any thorough knowledge. I totally refute any suggestion that we treat asylum applicants without care and compassion.

“We have a proud tradition in Britain of offering sanctuary to those who truly need our protection, and anyone seeking asylum can have their case reviewed by an independent judge.

“We operate a firm but humane system, supporting those who are vulnerable with accommodation and assistance.

“But we expect those that a court says have no genuine need for asylum to return home voluntarily, saving taxpayers the expense of enforcing their return.

“We will enforce the removal of those who refuse to comply, always ensuring first that it is safe to do so.”

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‘Inhumane and oppressive’: the final verdict on Britain’s asylum policy

BBC NEWS ONLINE

The UK’s treatment of asylum seekers falls seriously below the standards of a civilised country, says a report. The Independent Asylum Commission heard from hundreds of witnesses, including asylum seekers who said the system had been unfair to them.

Germain Naruhana gave evidence to the commission in Leeds. He claimed asylum from the DR Congo in 2005. He says his father was beheaded by political opponents after the family spoke out against abuses. He has lost contact with his wife and three children. He says an asylum judge told him his story was not credible.

Afshin, who is originally from Iran, spoke to the Independent Asylum Commission about his experiences in the UK, where he has lived for the past 12 years.

He says he waited five years for a decision on his case - a refusal.

“If someone would tell an Iranian that in a Western country they treat you like this, they wouldn’t believe you - because they think there is so much humanity there because we have such a brutal government.”

Shoherah Muhummad, originally from Somalia, gave evidence to the commission in Leeds.

She says she struggled to get adequate legal representation to help her to prepare her case before asylum assessors.

“I was running around not knowing where I was going. The only thing that has been going through my head was why did I come to the UK - I made a very big mistake.”

Scotsman

SKILLED migrant workers in Scotland are set to bring £2.4 billion to the UK economy over the next four years, a report by a recruitment agency has claimed.

The Future Flows report compiled for Harvey Nash by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) has predicted that Scotland will host around 26,000 migrant workers over the period – making up 3 per cent of the UK total.

The workers, who are likely to be employed in industries such as financial services and IT, will mainly come from the European Union, including new accession states such as Romania and Bulgaria.

In addition to filling and creating jobs, CEBR also forecasts that spending by migrant workers will bring £13bn to the Scottish economy by 2012.

Harvey Nash’s chief executive, Albert Ellis, said: “Skills are critical to the UK economy, but critically lacking in our current workforce. Far from undermining the UK labour market, migration is vital to future economic stability, helping to fill in the gaps created by older and under-skilled workforces and make a important vital economic contribution.

“Businesses in Scotland need to embrace skilled migration, as well as offer flexible and rewarding working practices for home-grown talent, in order to safeguard their long-term and global competitiveness.”

By Nigel Morris Tuesday, 25 March 2008
www.independent.co.uk

Plans for a joint drive by Britain and France against illegal immigration could backfire by forcing “soft targets” to return to dangerous countries, refugee groups have warned.

The initiative will be announced by Gordon Brown and the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, who arrives in Britain for a two-day state visit tomorrow.

The leaders will also set out plans to co-operate over the crisis threatening world money markets, nuclear power and defence.

Mr Sarkozy, who will be accompanied by his new wife, Carla Bruni, will be welcomed by the Prince of Wales. The couple will stay at Windsor Castle.

The immigration package is likely to be agreed by the leaders on Thursday. It includes proposals to arrange joint charter flights to return failed asylum-seekers to their home countries. Mr Sarkozy wants international co-operation over immigration to be a theme of France’s European Union presidency from July and will set the tone this week. The leaders will also promise to increase numbers of officials checking lorries at Channel ports and fresh action against people-smuggling gangs.

Donna Covey, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: “Our leaders would do better to focus on joint initiatives to make countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan safe for people to return to – rather than forcing them to go back when it is clearly not safe.”

Keith Best, chief executive of the Immigration Advisory Service, urged Mr Sarkozy to be sceptical of Britain’s approach to deporting asylum-seekers, which often resulted in “soft targets” being singled out for removal.