|
 UNISON
is at the forefront of campaigning against racism in Scotland. UNISON
members care for the whole community - we won't allow racists to
wreck Scotland's economic and cultural future. We have adopted three
key objectives:
- Tackling racism in the workforce and implementing the Race Relations
(Amendment) Act 2000
- Promoting respect for asylum seekers and humane immigration
rules
- Combating the far right and promoting community cohesion
UNISON is committed to challenging the far right
in Scotland. They try to spread fear and distrust among communities
for political advantage. They offer no solutions to Scotland’s problems
only hatred. Their lies confuse the public about serious issues
such as jobs, living conditions and strains on public services.
Recently far right organisations have used lies about
immigration as a key tool to recruit members and voters. They have
created confusion about immigration, refugees and asylum seekers
and used this to highlight their hatred for Scotland’s minority
ethnic communities. These lies have become part of the mainstream
and are often presented as facts in some sections of the media.
UNISON will challenge these lies and tell the truth
about the valuable contribution that Scotland’s diverse communities
make to Scotland as a whole. This booklet forms part of UNISON’s
ongoing campaign. It contains valuable information that will support
you in your work.
 |
 |
Matt Smith
Scottish Secretary UNISON |
Mike Kirby
Scottish Convenor UNISON |
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Fear of Strangers
Fear of Strangers Extreme right wing groups all seek
to build upon fear, fear of strangers, of the unknown, of being
taken over, swamped, and flooded. These powerful emotions are used
to win votes and support farright parties. They exaggerate the facts
in order to frighten people. This booklet confronts the myths and
lies.
Fascism;what is it?
Fascism is an extreme right- wing political force.
It was started by Mussolini in Italy in 1919. Fascism is based on
strong nationalism, racism, central control of the economy and military
dictatorship. Hitler based his Nazi party on it. Small British parties
have taken up these ideas, including the British National Party
(BNP), The National Front (NF), British Peoples Party ( BPP) November
9th Society (N9S) UK Independence Party (UKIP) and Veritas.
What do Fascists, Nazis & Racists have in common?
- They seek to inflame tensions between racial groups and communities.
- They blame foreigners and ‘outsiders’ for social problems such
as unemployment and crime.
- They spread fear of a loss of a national identity.
- They spread violence and intimidation.
- They terrorise targets, such as black and minority ethnic people.
- They see world trade as a foreign conspiracy.
- Trade unions are seen as a threat.
- They are fiercely anti- European but maintain strong European
networks of farright parties.
Why worry?
What’s the problem? British fascism has never been
very strong. Fascist parties such as BNP, NF, BPP & N9S are small.
When they stand for election, they get a handful of votes. They
have to date failed in every election in Scotland. So why worry
about them?
- We must not be complacent. At a time when people are fed-up
with politics, extreme parties can gain ground.
- They poison our politics. Even a small group can inject hatred
and abuse into political campaigns.
- Their poison can spread. Some of their policies get absorbed
into the more mainstream parties.
- Hostility towards Europe and attacks on asylum seekers spread
racial prejudice.
- They generate fear. They want people to be afraid. Afraid that
the country is being taken over by foreigners or that the British
way of life is under threat. They also want to terrorise outsiders
and spread racial violence.
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British National Party
The BNP made the news when it captured a few council
seats in the North of England several years ago. In the 2006 English
local government elections, the BNP captured 49 seats. It supports
the ‘British Native People’ although how this is defined is unclear.
It seeks to stop all inward migration and wants resettlement of
existing immigrants. On crime it calls for corporal and capital
punishments. The BNP demands withdrawal from the European Union.
It would “return our economy and land to British ownership”,
presumably by forced seizures and "the selective exclusion
of foreign-made goods".
The UK economy is based upon global trade and such
policies would cause such a catastrophe it is hard to imagine the
effect on jobs. Hatred for foreigners is at the centre of every
policy.
The BNP claim to have active branches in Edinburgh
and Glasgow. They also claim to have groups in Ayrshire, Borders,
Central, Falkirk, Fife, West Lothian and Highlands & Islands. During
the 2004 European Election they fielded seven candidates, securing
19,427 votes (1.65%).
During the 2005 General Election they fielded two
candidates in Glasgow. Scott McLean, the BNPs vice-chair stood in
the Glasgow North East constituency securing 3.24% of the vote and
Walter Hamilton, their Glasgow organiser stood in the Glasgow Central
constituency securing 2.39% of the vote.
The BNP are likely to field candidates in next years
Scottish Parliament and local government elections.
National Front
Since its high point in the 1970’s, the NF has been
torn apart by internal splits. It describes itself as "Britain’s
longest-lived White Nationalist Movement, poised on the brink of
the new millennium ready to mushroom again".
It has links to violent gangs and hard line Nazis.
Its race-hate politics are similar to the BNP: "Send all non-whites
back to their country of origin. The only way to live in a peaceful
society is when all members originate from the same race".
Here in Scotland, they claim to be active in Dundee,
Hamilton, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, where they have unsuccessfully
stood in local government by-elections.
Combat 18
The 1 and the 8 comes from A and H in Adolf Hitler.
They were named in tribute to Hitler and they are indeed neo-nazis.
They were formed in 1992 as a stewarding group for
the BNP. They are a highly secretive and paranoid group that has
been linked to numerous violent racist attacks across the UK. Like
the BNP and NF, its recruiting ground has been amongst football
hooligans and skinhead gangs. Many members of the BNP and NF have
been linked to Combat 18 and their activities.
Combat 18 have also been linked to Ulster Loyalist
Terrorist Groups in the past. Combat 18’s website has direct links
to Redwatch, British Peoples Party and November 9th Society. They
also have links to numerous Blood and Honour and other Combat 18
groups across Europe. They have links to worldwide nazi and extreme
right wing organisations such as Klu Klux Klan and Aryan Unity.
British People’s Party (formerly known as
the White National Party)
The BPP is an extreme right wing organisation based
in West Yorkshire. They portray themselves as a ‘White Nationalist
Party’ which believes that the UK is heading for total disaster
and that by the year 2060, white people will be a minority in the
UK. Of course, no academic is research available within their web
site and publications to prove such claims.
The BPP are behind the Redwatch website. This website
targets trade unionists, anti-racists and other opponents of the
far right. Redwatch and websites such as; Noncewatch, Blood and
Honour, Stormfront and VNN incite violence against antiracist campaigners.
Speaking recently in a debate in the House of Commons on Redwatch,
Angela Eagle MP said, “There appears to be a pattern of violence
which is aimed at individuals who are targeted by this website which
cannot simply be a coincidence. Hate websites do not deserve the
protection of the principles of freedom of speech when they seek
to prevent others from exercising their democratic rights”.
The anti-racist magazine Searchlight along with UNISON has continually
called for these websites to be shut down.
Although these websites may be hosted outside the
UK, the people who run them and provide information to them are
in the UK.
The WNP has been attempting to organise in Scotland
since the summer of 2003. The Scotsman ran an article on them in
September 2003 which highlighted their application to Glasgow City
Council for permission to hold its Campaign against Asylum Seekers
event in George Square. They anticipated that they would be joined
by 60 WNP members from all over the UK. The article also highlighted
that they would be joined by Scot’s "fed up with asylum seekers
draining vital medical and social services". Permission to stage
this event was refused.
The Barrhead News has also exposed their vile campaign
against paedophiles in the area.
November 9th Society
The November 9th Society (N9S) take pride in calling
themselves as "a modern day National Socialist political party
changing the way people see Britain". These self confessed Nazis
are led by Bradford based Kevin Quinn who calls himself their National
Director.
Quinn, along with five others, pleaded guilty to race
hate charges at the Old Bailey on Friday 4 November 2005. Quinn
was sentenced to 9 months suspended for two years for the possession
of racist material.
N9S advocate idolising and the worship of Adolf Hitler,
and the policies and ideologies of the N9S are of this ilk.
In the past they applied to Renfrewshire Council,
seeking permission to stage a town centre demonstration in Paisley.
Thankfully this event did not take place. The Paisley Daily Express
when reporting on this quite rightly classed them as "scum".
Other right wing parties whilst less offensive can
seek to capitalise on similar fears.
UK Independence Party
UKIP followers believe that every aspect of our lives
is affected by an evil Brussels conspiracy. They claim that Europe
wishes to impose a ‘Napoleonic Code’ on Britain, meaning we can
be; guilty until proven innocent, face unlimited detention without
charge with no right to trial by jury. So no scare-mongering there
then!
A former MEP was former Labour MP and BBC presenter
Robert Kilroy Silk. ‘Kilroy’ hit the headlines prior to the 2004
European Elections for his anti-Arab and anti-Moslem views in which
he referred to Arabs as "suicide bombers, limb-amputators and
women repressors".
Kilroy left UKIP not long after his election to the
European Parliament branding some members as “bloody right wing
fascists”. In 2005 he formed a new right wing party called Veritas
(Latin for truth).
Kilroy is now an independent MEP. On possible links
with the trade union movement. Fabian Olins, Treasurer of the British
Weights and Measures Association and UKIP member said, "A pact
with the trade unions is a pact with the devil". (UKIP annual
conference, October 2003)
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We’re full up, we can’t take any more!
The vision is frightening. Population growing outof-
hand; foreigners flooding in from across the world to take our jobs
and live well on state handouts. These are the claims of the far
right. But what is the truth?
The 2001 census is reckoned to be the most accurate
ever. The first shock was that we have been over-estimating our
population. The survey knocked off a million people! There are 58.8
million in the UK - just over 5 million (5,045,000) in Scotland.
It is projected that the population of Scotland will fall below
5 million to 4,926,000 by 2021. In 2040 it is projected that the
population will fall to 4,590,000.
The UK is home to less than 2% of the world’s refugees,
around 250,000 people from around nearly 10 million worldwide.
The birth rate in Scotland has been steadily declining
and is expected to fall further. Average family sizes have already
fallen from 2 children per woman born in the 1950s to 1.6 from 1975
on.
They’re taking our jobs!
Racist groups tend to do well when unemployment is
high. There seems a simple logic to the theory that if there are
1,000 people out of work, then get rid of 1,000 foreigners. The
trouble with such a solution is that the economy doesn’t work like
that. Economies do well when the population grows. This has happened
throughout history and all over the world.
Migrants often create new industries. Indian and Chinese
restaurants are good examples of this. Old sectors, such as corner
shops can also be given a new lease of life.
In Scotland unemployment is low (5.3% is the average
percentage across Scotland (September 2006)). In many areas the
problem is a labour shortage. Without migrants our building trade
would collapse, our catering and tourist trade would suffer and
crops would go un-harvested. The health service as we know it would
fall apart. Migrants don’t just do the jobs no one else wants. One
in three doctors are from ethnic minorities.
The Asian community has many of the world’s top computer
specialists. In the next eight years, Britain will need up to half
a million computer, construction and domestic workers. Our economy
and public service rely on recruiting skills from all over the world.
The tourist trade in Scotland needs to win foreign visitors and
we have to compete in the world for foreign investment in our industry.
They keep pay low
Racists claim that if migrants didn’t take jobs, then
employers would have to raise wage levels! A recent Home Office
study found that the opposite is the case.
Migrants tend to be better educated than white- British
born residents. 20% are graduates compared to 15% of the local population.
The new skills bring new opportunities. The study concluded that
" an increase in immigration of 1%… leads to a nearly 2% increase
in non-migrant wage".
They are a drain on taxes
Migrant workers actually give more than they take.
One reason for this is that most migrants are of working age. They
have finished school and are a long way from retirement. The Home
Office estimates that migrants contribute 10% more in revenue than
they receive in benefits.
Indeed if there were no foreign-born people in Britain,
taxes would need to rise by 1p in the £ or public services would
be cut. Similar research is found in Germany and the USA.
They bring crime
Right-wing groups play on fear of crime to paint foreigners
as the cause. The real root causes of crime are unemployment, poor
housing and lack of money.
It has always been the case that newcomers face the
poorest conditions and become the target for criminal gangs. Those
who arrive here through human traffickers are especially vulnerable
to exploitation. Some are forced into drugs and prostitution. But
it is the immigrant population who are the main victims of such
crimes.
They all head for Britain
Britain is a great place to live and work. The legacy
of the British Empire and the Commonwealth means that there are
communities all over the globe who have links to this country. Britain
is attractive to those who speak English.
But our tight immigration controls mean the UK is
not the magnet for migrants that racists would have us believe.
In the European league table for the number of asylum applications
per head of population, Britain is ninth. The greatest burden when
it comes to offering shelter to refugees falls on the developing
world, the neighbours to conflicts and tyrannical regimes. Iran
and Pakistan for example have taken in 4 million Afghans. Refugees
tend to want to go home. Britain has seen a return to Kosovo and
more recently Afghanistan once conflict has ended.
We’re a soft touch
The UK gives asylum seekers less financial support
than other European countries. They are not allowed to work and
forced to rely on state support, set 30% below normal income support
They are not allowed to claim mainstream benefits. An adult receives
less than £40 a week.
They support terrorism
The worst accusation is that foreigners support terrorism.
The leaders of black and minority ethnic community and faith groups
have condemned recent terrorist attacks. Hundreds of Muslims were
killed in the 9/11 and 7/7 atrocities.
Commitment to values of family and religious belief
is much stronger amongst black and minority ethnic people than amongst
white people. Asylum seekers are fleeing persecution and terror.
Black and minority ethnic communities have much more
to lose from international terrorism. Since the 9/11 and 7/7 atrocities,
assaults on black and ethnic people have increased.
We’re losing our identity
The fear of change is a powerful force. Racist groups
claim we are losing our Scottish way of life, our traditions and
our culture. What does it mean to be Scottish? Throughout its history,
Scotland has absorbed foreign cultures. We are a mix of races and
have gained strength from outside ideas and influences.
Immigration in the last fifty years has brought new
and exciting cultures. International food, music, dance and theatre
have all benefited from a multicultural Scotland. A diverse community
and workplace strengthen society and the workplace. International
trade expands as we become more confident of doing business around
the world. Compared with regions across the UK, Scotland has a good
exporting record. The most creative, dynamic and imaginative communities
celebrate diversity.
Successful companies are those that learn from others
and take up new ideas. Inward looking narrow thinking communities
and companies become stale, dull and non-competitive. They lose
trade. People who want to get on won’t stay. Bright young people
will move out. This is not the sort of future Scotland needs.
Not just race
Britain’s male-dominated far-right groups also feel
under threat from women and the gay movement. The far right despise
homosexuality. David Copeland, the Soho nail bomber, was a BNP supporter.
He targeted black people and gay men.
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One of the most successful tactics of the far-right
has been to spread fear and disinformation, often about asylum seekers.
These are just a few of the key points on immigration everyone should
know:
Our benefit system is open to abuse by workers
from the new European Union (EU) accession states.
False. While EU law specifies equal treatment of all nationals of
EU member states in the area of benefits, this does not mean that
new arrivals here have immediate access to benefits.
Someone who has not lived and worked in the UK will
not normally have paid UK contributions, so will not be entitled
to contributory benefits such as the state pension. Income - related
benefits, tax credits and child benefit can only be claimed by those
who are either ‘habitually resident’ or ‘ordinary resident’ in the
UK.
Of the immigrants from accession countries registered
in the UK between May and September 2004, 95% have no dependents,
and only 2800 have tried to claim child benefit, out of 7 million
people across the UK who receive it. Of these 2800 applications
only 37% have been approved. Less than 0.3% of those receiving homelessness
benefits are immigrants from accession countries, and this group
have made only 500 applications for unemployment benefit, of which
97% have been refused immediately.
New migrants lower wages.
Recent Home Office research suggests that wages among existing workers
have not been materially affected by immigrants. Other research
actually shows a rise.
Immigration is a drain on the economy.
Home Office research shows that existing migrants contribute £2.5
billion more in taxes than they receive in benefits like health
and education. The National Research Council found that initial
net costs to the taxpayer were very short term and concentrated
in education provision for migrants with children. The CBI back
the Home Office figure of £2.5 billion net contribution. The First
Minister has publicly suggested new managed migration would be a
positive solution for Scotland’s ageing working population.
Most asylum seekers actually come from safe countries.
In fact most refugees to the UK in recent years have been from the
former Yugoslavia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Colombia, Turkey,
Iraq and Iran and China – all countries where there have been serious
conflict or grave human rights abuses.
Once asylum seekers enter Britain they never want
to go back to their country of origin.
Many refugees often go back to their country when the reasons that
forced them to leave no longer exist. Most South Africans and Chileans
who fled to Britain returned when it was safe for them to do so.
The vast majority of Kosovo Albanians have also returned, despite
the fragile situation in Kosovo.
Asylum seekers don’t want to work.
Many asylum seekers have left behind businesses or skilled jobs
in their home country and are keen to start work and earn. However,
current UK legislation prohibits them from working legally in Britain
until they are granted refugee status or exceptional leave to remain.
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Many UNISON branches are encountering an increasing
number of cases involving migrant workers, many in the healthcare
sector. Such workers often find themselves subject to poor rates
of pay and discriminatory conditions.
Most migrant workers come to this country having pursued
advertisements in their home country for employment here. They hope
to better their position and provide an improved standard of living
for themselves and their families. Many leave dependant children
at home in care of a partner or other family members.
There are many issues for migrant workers to contend
with. Above all they need to know their rights and that there is
a union they can join which will help them.
UNISON Overseas Nurses Network was set up by UNISON
over 2 years ago in recognition of the needs of the overseas health
workers in Scotland. The network started with 6 members and now
we have over 600 all over Scotland. The network was set up as an
information point, a social contact and information exchange point
for us all, so that we can learn from each other. The UNISON Overseas
Nurses Network is truly a success story. It was the first network
of its type in UNISON.
UNISON Welfare has recently produced guide lines for
supporting migrant workers. They include:
- An outline of some issues for migrant workers and the barriers
to getting help
- General information on UNISON Welfare services and how we can
help branches to support migrant workers
- An explanation of the recent changes to UNISON Welfare’s criteria
for financial assistance to help support migrant workers
Copies of this document can be found at: http://www.unison.org.uk/acrobat/B2757.pdf
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Recognising and Challenging Racism in the Workplace
The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 widened and
strengthened the anti-discriminatory provisions of the 1976 Race
Relations Act (RRA 1979). It also added a new enforceable duty on
key public bodies to promote race equality. The Act fulfilled a
recommendation made by the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report, and
extends coverage of the RRA 1976 to the functions of public authorities
in general.
In March 2002 the Scottish Executive approved specific
duties in order to help public authorities’ better meet the general
duties laid out in the Act. All public authorities had to publish
a first Race Equality Scheme (RES) and education authorities a Race
Equality Policy (REP) by November 2002 and hereafter three yearly.
In July 2004 the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE)
issued “minded letters” to 21 authorities which it believed were
not meeting their legal duties under the Act. The new schemes were
due in November 2005.
UNISON Scotland’s position
UNISON has consistently pressed employers to recognise
and challenge racism in the workplace. The Race Relations (Amendment)
Act 2000 is part of the Government’s response to the Stephen Lawrence
inquiry. It requires employers to promote good race relations and
monitor the ethnic composition of staff.
UNISON is continuing to work with employers to develop
a clear strategy and programme of work to implement their new duties.
We are also pressing for the law to be extended to private companies.
In 2001 a UNISON commissioned UK –wide survey by Labour
Research Department revealed that:
- Black and minority ethnic people are still under-represented
in the workplace.
- Employers claimed to have equal opportunities policies, but
these did not translate into practice.
- Employers did not necessarily review equalities policies or
set targets to deal with the under-representation of black/minority
ethnic workers.
- Many black and minority ethnic workers faced abuse/ harassment
from the public.
What does the Act mean in your workplace?
The act:
- Outlaws discrimination (direct, indirect and victimisation)
in public authority functions not covered by the 1976 Act and
provides remedies.
- Defines “public authority” widely, as in the Human Rights Act,
for the purpose of outlawing discrimination, including public
functions delivered by private firms. There are only limited exemptions.
- Places a general duty on specified public authorities to work
towards the elimination of unlawful discrimination, and to promote
equality.
- Empowers the Scottish Executive to impose specific duties on
some/all public authorities on the general duty to promote race
equality.
- Gives the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) powers to enforce
specific duties imposed on public authorities.
- Gives the CRE powers to issue Codes of Practice to provide guidance
on the Act.
- Allows race discrimination cases against education bodies to
go directly to a sheriff, without a 2 month “cooling off” period.
- Makes chief police officers vicariously liable for acts of discrimination
carried out by their officers – costs or expenses awarded as a
result of a claim to be paid by the police authority.
- Removes the powers of a Minister to issue conclusive certificates
that racial discrimination was done for the purposes of national
security and was not unlawful.
What is a race equality scheme (RES)?
A RES is effectively a strategy, and a timetabled and realistic
action plan. It should summarise a public authority’s approach to
race equality and its corporate aims. It should also say how the
authority plans to carry out each part of the specific duty, in
other words, it contains arrangements for:
- Assessing, consulting on, and monitoring its functions and
policies for any adverse impact on promoting race equality;
- Publishing the results;
- Making sure the public have access to its services; and
- Training staff.
The scheme itself should be:
- Time-tabled and realistic
- Organised around achieving results
- And should include routine monitoring by ethnic group of, amongst
others, employees and applicants for employment training and promotion.
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The First Minister Jack McConnell launched the Fresh Talent Initiative
with a statement to the Scottish Parliament on 25th February 2004.
Scotland’s population is falling and it is declining at a faster
rate than anywhere else in Europe.
- By 2009 it will fall below 5 million.
- By 2027 there could be a quarter of a million fewer people of
working age in Scotland.
The key aims of the Fresh Talent Initiative are:
- To retain home-grown talent,
- To encourage Scots who have moved away to come back and work
in Scotland,
- And to attract people who are completely new to Scotland – from
the rest of the UK, from the EU and further field.
Speaking at the 2004 STUC Congress, the First Minister used his
keynote speech to drive home the need to encourage greater immigration
to Scotland and fight racism against refugees and asylum seekers.
He said, “Welcoming new people to Scotland does not threaten
Scots, their jobs or their way of life. New talent will help us
grow the economy, create new jobs and give us the full employment
that is already within our grasp”.
A Warm Scottish Welcome
The Scottish economy relies on a thriving tourist trade. The tourism
industry depends upon attracting visitors. But those with a different
coloured skin or a strange name don’t always get the warm welcome
they deserve.
We are a global society and rely on international trade. The Irish
built our hospitals after the war; Asian doctors and Afro-Caribbean
nurses cared for our patients. We now depend on upon carers from
the Philippines and cleaners from all over the world for the maintenance
of our health service. It is the racists who are the odd ones out.
For Scotland to thrive we need a more diverse and welcoming society.
There is no room for racists in Scotland. Let’s give them the cold
shoulder.
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How can UNISON and UNISON members stop far right groups spreading
their hatred in Scottish workplaces and communities?
Tell the truth
The lies spread by far right groups must be answered. This booklet
tackles the main myths.
Recruit and organise
Bad employers will exploit workers who lack trade union support
and who do not know their employment rights. The answer is not to
blame the workers but to recruit and organise them. UNISON Scotland’s
Overseas Nurses Network is a classic example of how to recruit and
organise.
Fight Racism
Racism has no place in workplaces and communities across Scotland.
UNISON must champion victims of discrimination. We should also press
employers to adopt recruitment and promotion practices that treat
everyone equally.
Trade Unions are working to establish black workers self-organised
support groups. When racism occurs it must be challenged. UNISON
branches should ensure that their employer meets their obligations
under the Race Relations Amendment Act (2000).
Get involved
Racism flourishes when it is unchallenged. Please use the information
in this booklet to attack racism. There are many organisations working
hard to combat racism as well as UNISON. They would welcome your
support.
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Terms can confuse. The media hardly helps explain
the truth. Descriptions of groups are often mixed up to mislead.
Here is a brief glossary.
- Migrants
Those who come to the UK mainly for work, intending to stay at
least a year.
- Immigrants
Those who come in order to settle.
- Asylum seekers
Those who apply for protection under the United Nations Convention
on the Status of Refugees.
- Refugees
Those who have been granted asylum. The term tends to attract
public support. Images of people fleeing torture and war touch
our hearts.
- Economic migrants
Those seeking a better life abroad. Just as many Scots did
– immigrating to America, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South
Africa and almost everywhere else!
- Exchange workers
These are special schemes. Exchanges are organised so that experiences
can be gained from another country.
- Foreign Students
The education system in Scotland has long attracted many students
from abroad. They can work providing it doesn’t exceed more than
20 hours per week and doesn’t interfere with their studies.
- Posted workers
These are non-European nationals who work for European companies
who are ‘posted’ to work in the UK or another European country.
- Seasonal Agriculture Workers
Many farms across Scotland rely on seasonal workers from abroad.
Such workers must leave at the end of three months or by 30 November.
- Work Permits
These give permission to UK employers to recruit named people
from a country outside of Europe. The worker must remain in that
employment for no more than five years.
- European Nationals
That’s us by the way! The media often call European workers, migrants
and even asylum seekers! Like us, workers across Europe have the
freedom to travel and work within the European Union. This freedom
of movement is essential to our economy. Some 70% of Scottish
exports go to Europe. Many of our leading firms are part of European
companies. Thousands of Scottish workers benefit from these rights.
- Holiday Workers
People on holiday in Scotland have some limited rights to work
whilst they are here. There are tight restrictions. Australian
bar workers are often amongst this group.
In Germany first they came for the Communists, and I didn’t
speak up, because I was not a communist. Then they came for
the Jews, and I didn’t speak up, because I was not a Jew. Then
they came for the Catholics, and I did not speak up, because
I was a protestant. Then they came for me, and there was no
one left to speak up for me.
Pastor Martin Niemoller, 1945
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UNISON Scotland
14 West Campbell Street
Glasgow G2 6RX
www.unison-scotland.org.uk
Scottish Trades Union Congress
333 Woodlands Road
Glasgow G3 6NG
www.stuc.org.uk
Show Racism the Red Card
Fountain House
1-3 Woodside Crescent
Glasgow G3 7UJ
www.theredcardscotland.org
Searchlight (International anti-fascist magazine)
PO Box 1576
Ilford IG5 ONG
www.searchlightmagazine.com
Commission for Racial Equality (Scotland)
The Tun 12 Jackson’s Entry (off Holyrood Road)
Edinburgh EH8 8JP
www.cre.gov.uk/scotland
Scottish Refugee Council
5 Cadogan Square
Glasgow G2 7PH
www.scottishrefugecouncil.org.uk
Glasgow Anti-Racist Alliance
30 Bell Street
Glasgow G1 1LG
www.gara.org.uk
One Scotland Many Cultures
www.onescotland.com
One Workplace Many Rights
www.oneworkplace.co.uk
New Scots: Attracting Fresh Talent to Meet the Challenges
of Growth http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/02/1
8984/3366
Published by UNISONScotland as part of our Many
Cultures working in UNISON campaign. 14 West Campbell Street, Glasgow
G2 6RX. 0845 355 0845. This campaign is funded by UNISON’s General
Political Fund. Printed by Hampden Advertising, 73 Robertson Street,
Glasgow G2 8QD. www.unison-scotland.org.uk
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