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The new UK
immigration policy that seems heavily loaded in favour of English
speaking caterers from East European countries for working in curry
houses, has posed a threat to thousands of people of Indian and
Chinese origin who have been running their fast food restaurants in
UK for more than four decades offering mouth-watering curries and
stir-fried chop Suey.
The British
government's new immigration strategy in the form of the
"Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Bill" would encourage
highly prized, East European professionals. The Bill would impose a
two-year jail term and fine on employers hiring illegal foreigners.
Students and workers refused visas would lose the right to appeal,
The Times reported.
The move is
aimed at checking illegal immigrants (from India and China) from
making their way into the country. These migrants allegedly take up
jobs in eateries while overstaying illegally in the country. The Bill
was also drafted keeping in mind the latest trend among the Indians,
whereby the younger generation of the owners of these eating joints
are taking to other more lucrative vocations and are no more
interested in taking over their traditional businesses. And,
English-speaking people from East European countries are most likely
to buy most of these businesses.
Lord Chan, who
chairs the Chinese in Britain Forum, said: "The main concerns
are clear in that 95 per cent of Chinese catering businesses actually
are not going to be taken over by members of the family. The person
who buys the business would need to recruit people." Thomas
Chan, who chairs the Chinese Takeaway Association, estimated that
between 30,000 and 50,000 workers were needed every year. "The
head chef will find it difficult to communicate with these Eastern
Europeans," he said adding that "if there is no mutually
understood language, how are they going to give instructions? It's
not just a pinch of salt here and there. It's the culture."
Meanwhile,
curry houses are benefiting from a boom in staff, with many
asylum-seekers and new European Union members coming from traditional
meat-skewering nations, said the paper. With the UK government
refusing to budge from implementing the new immigration policy,
Chinese and Indian restaurant and takeaway owners are campaigning to
persuade the Government to continue letting thousands of Asian people
into the country to help to make the curries. The first lobby of
Parliament by representatives of Britain's 2.5 lakh-strong Chinese
community has urged politicians to make a special case to save their
businesses. The paper quoted a leading community member as saying
that the staff in Britain's 10,000 Chinese takeaways and 5000
restaurants are mainly asylum-seekers, students and illegal immigrants.
Ashraf Uddin,
the secretary-general of the Bangladesh Caterers' Association, said
that at least 20,000 workers were needed every year to work in
Britain's 10,000 Indian restaurants. The UK government had told them
to take Eastern Europeans, he said adding: "Unless they know our
culture, our language, our way of working, it's a complete mess."
Taflan Dikec,
president of the National Association of Kebab Shops, said that there
were already 40,000 kebab takeaways, with numbers growing fast.
Refugees had provided a source of labour, but Eastern Europeans were
able to make more than kebabs. "They are capable, if the Chinese
and Indians gave them an opportunity. They have this myth that
Chinese food can only be cooked by a Chinese person or Indian by an
Indian," he said.
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