Representatives of the Ethnic Catering Alliance (ECA) met with the Prime Minister's Office Policy Unit Equality Political Advisor Ms Oona King on 10 June 2008.

Mr Yip Fai Liu and Mr Jabez Lam from CICC presented the contributions Chinese catering make to the British economic, social and cultural life. They presented the adverse impact on Chinese catering arising from the recent immigration changes. The Chinese community's experience are echoed by the Bangladeshi and Turkish communities.

The meeting discussed a number of issues:

• the disproportionate use of force in UKBA's conducting immigration raids on catering businesses;
• the threats to community safety and community cohesiveness caused by a the UKBA's Stop Illegal Working Campaign;
• the staff shortage in ethic catering businesses
• the lack of training opportunities and facilities appropriate for ethnic catering businesses to up-skill local workforce as labour source.

Ms King congratulated the Ethnic Catering Alliance in bringing the issues to the attention of the Prime Minister. She shared the concerns of the ECA, undertook a number of actions points to follow up:

• with the Home Office Minister, our concerns on the manner immigration raids were conducted,
• with the Prime Minister Policies Office on community safety and community cohesiveness,
• with the Department of Employment and Learning on appropriate training support and resources to up-skill local workforce on ethnic catering,

Ms King sought a number of briefing papers from the ECA, and agreed to meet with the Alliance again in the autumn to review progress.

For further information, please contact: Jabez Lam at 07791 801 686, or Rohema Miah at 07908 628 193

 

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