Migrants’ Rights Network newsletter

In June’s newsletter:
(1) Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill hits the Commons amid protests
(2) MRN releases Irregular Migration report in Parliament on 2nd June
(3) Immigration statistics show drop in A8 nationals coming to UK
(4) Court decision on the right of asylum seekers to work in the UK
(5) Concern about the tone [...]

Migration policy, racism and inequality in Scotland

“It strikes me that too often we seek comfort in a Scottish consensus that we are all Jock Tamsons’s  bairns – citizens of a fair and equal nation. We like to think we are free of racism and other inequalities because we prefer that to the truth.  In order to live up to our own [...]

Worker Registration Scheme extended for 2 years

Despite evidence that the Worker Registration Scheme leads to violations of human rights, putting vulnerable workers at more risk of exploitation and abuse, the UK Government has decided to extend the scheme for a further two years.
In a press release issued today, Border and Immigration Minister Phil Woolas was “delighted to announce keeping in place [...]

Worker Registration Scheme: ‘abuse of human rights’

More questions, more calls for it’s abolition, but no answers yet on the WRS

The MP for Glasgow South West has submitted a written question as to the future of the WRS, on behalf of a Glasgow Polish residents association. We await a response from the Minister.
Meanwhile, the Lords have been asking questions, amid evidence that [...]

Scottish Migrants Network Conference at STUC

Workers Rights are Migrant Rights!
Scottish Migrants Network Hosts Conference at STUC
As the recession begins to bite across Scotland it is vital that all workers, including migrants, are aware of their rights at work. The Scottish Migrants Network (SMN) sponsored a half-day conference for migrant workers and support organisations in Scotland to share policy and practice [...]

EU sanctions against employers of undocumented migrants

New European Union rules aim to crackdown on employers who expolit undocumented migrant workers, but migrant rights groups are worried that the imminent legislation retains the focus on the status of the migrant, rather than the exploitation by the employer.
Under the Employers Sanctions Directive, employers hiring undeclared workers would face sanctions, including fines and paying [...]

Crusade against the undocumented

Every day, across the UK, aggressive raids are being carried out at workplaces to root out those without papers.
Britain’s ethnic restaurant sector is under attack from government officials who, in their single-minded drive to meet ever higher targets for deportation, have no interest in the impact of their policies on small family businesses or the [...]

December 18 is International Migrants Day

On 4 December 2000, the United Nations General Assembly, taking into account the large and increasing number of migrants in the world, proclaimed 18 December International Migrants Day (resolution 55/93). On that day, in 1990, the Assembly adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their [...]

EU states not applying free movement rules

EU member states’ implementation of rules on free movement and residence  has been “rather disappointing,” the European Commission said on Wednesday (10 December).
Directive 2004/38 provides a single legal instrument on free movement of EU citizens and their family members.
A new EC report reveals persistent violation of the core rights of EU citizens, mostly related to:

the [...]

The picture is grim for Europe’s Roma

David Mark, co-ordinator of the European Roma Policy Coalition, writing in EUobserver
With global markets shattered and far-right groups gaining strength across the continent, anti-Gypsism has risen dramatically this past year. Living often on the fringes of society, Roma have been the target of racist violence across Europe, with attacks this autumn in Italy, Czech Republic, [...]