Curry restaurants take fight to save staff to Westminster

Published on Saturday 29 March 2008 11:27

EDINBURGH'S curry restaurants have vowed to take the fight to save their workers to Westminster, as hopes are raised that they might escape tough new immigration rules.

A petition is being gathered in the city in a bid to convince the Government that they are in desperate need of staff from India and Bangladesh if their industry is to survive.

Britain introduced a new Australian-style, points-based immigration system on February 29, but restaurant owners claim the new legislation makes it harder for them to bring in skilled staff from outside the EU.

They say they are being forced to take on untrained staff from non-Indian or Bangladeshi backgrounds who have no experience or knowledge of curry.

It has now emerged that Home Office chiefs are drawing up a new "shortage occupation list" to give priority visas to jobs that cannot be filled by people from the European Union.

This has sparked a renewed campaign to convince ministers that curry restaurants should be at the top of the list.

Noonu Miah, owner of Pataka Restaurant and chair of Bangladesh Samity Association, Edinburgh, said: "It's a positive sign. We want to be on this list of industries. Restaurants are suffering from a severe shortage of staff.

"We will be presenting ourselves to the Home Office. We will do whatever it takes. We are a big part of the community and if we don't get more staff it's going to affect everybody badly."

However, Foysol Choudhury, general secretary of the association, added: "It is fantastic news and the Indian restaurant industry does deserve to be considered for this list.

"We contribute 3.2 billion to the British economy and there are 12,000 Bangladeshi restaurants in the UK employing more than 80,000 people. However, it is now the job of our organisation to prove we do need people."

Mr Choudhury, who owns The Verandah restaurant on Dalry Road, added: "We have to make sure all curry restaurants in Edinburgh and beyond are aware what the Home Office is proposing.

"We will be visiting as many businesses in Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland as soon as we can and speak with them to find out what problems they are facing and where the shortages are.

"Then we will be presenting a petition to the First Minister as well as to the Home Office as evidence that we must be included on the government's list."

Professor David Metcalf, chair of the Migration Advisory Committee, said last week his team would create a UK and Scottish list of occupations by June to be given special dispensation to work here.

The team of economists is investigating whether migrant chefs, care workers and hospital technicians, among other roles, are really needed rather than training up UK or EU nationals.