New initiative for NI migrant workers

A new initiative to help the tens of thousands of migrant workers in Northern Ireland secure their rights was unveiled today…

A new initiative to help the tens of thousands of migrant workers in Northern Ireland secure their rights was unveiled today.

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) has begun the project amid reports of exploitation, discrimination and racism among the North's estimated 30,000 migrant workers.

A range of guides on issues such as government benefits and housing have been designed to help migrant workers understand their entitlements.

The guides have been produced by the NIHRC, the Law Centre of Northern Ireland and the Dungannon-based Animate Project - a migrant worker equality initiative set up in Co Tyrone where there are a large number of migrant workers, especially from eastern Europe.

READ MORE

Human Rights Chief Commissioner, Professor Monica McWilliams, said many of the workers were vulnerable to human rights abuses because they, and the agencies that are supposed to provide for them, did not know what the rights and entitlements of migrant workers were.

Guides have been produced in a range of languages including Polish, Lithuanian, Latvian, Slovak, Portuguese and Tetum - the language of East Timor.

A special one for commercial and business work permit employees has been produced online in Chinese and Russian.