Guide published on rights of migrant workers

A series of guides designed to secure the rights of migrant workers in Northern Ireland have been lanched today.

Speaking during the launch at the George Best Belfast City Airport Equality Minister David Hanson said: “As more and more people choose Northern Ireland as a place to settle and work it is important that migrant workers know their rights in Northern Ireland.

“The launch of these new guides will ensure that migrant workers are not exploited and that they do not become ‘cheap labour’, and that those who seek to undercut conditions of pay or work, can not do so.”

Funded by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister and produced by the Human Rights Commission, Animate and the Law Centre (NI) the guides provide a comprehensive source of information for migrant workers covering areas such as social security, housing, employment and health.

The guides which will be available in nine languages and distributed throughout the public, voluntary and community sectors, have been produced by the Dungannon-based Animate Project, the Law Centre Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, with funding from the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM).

Les Allamby, Director of the Law Centre (NI) said: “This is the most extensive range of advice materials ever produced in Northern Ireland for migrant workers and we hope that as a result of this unique inter-agency partnership we can help them realise their rights and also assist those involved in providing services to migrant workers.”

According to the NI Human Rights Commission, many migrant workers are vulnerable to human rights abuses simply because they, and indeed the agencies that are supposed to provide for them, simply do not know the rights and entitlements of migrant workers.

Professor Monica McWilliams, Chief Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission, added: “In Northern Ireland the escalation in racist attacks highlights the need for us all to promote and protect the rights of migrants whether in the home or at work. One major way of tackling racism would be for the UK Government to ratify a recent UN human rights treaty known as the Migrant Workers Convention. It is important that we all recognise that migrants have the same right as everyone else to having their fundamental rights respected and protected. Human rights are universal.”

Daniel Holder, Project Manager, Animate - A migrant worker equality initiative set up through a partnership between Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council and the community-based South Tyrone Empowerment Programme (STEP), said: “Migrant workers coming to Tyrone and beyond has been one of the big good news stories of recent years for the major social and economic benefits it brings everyone. The downside has been the poor treatment some migrant workers have been subjected to including varying degrees of exploitation, discrimination and racism."

(EF)