EMPLOYMENT STRATEGY FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS

Speech by Jean Lambert MEP

Delivered at EQUAL ASSET/Refugee Council conference in Birmingham, 17 March 2005

Thank you for the opportunity to be here. The topic of this conference covers subjects close to my heart as a member of the European Parliament’s (EP) Employment and Social Affairs Committee (EMPL) and a deputy member of the Civil Liberties Committee (LIBE) where I was most recently responsible for the EP response to the Commission’s proposals for the next stages of the Common Asylum Policy.

A key issue within that is the “front-loading” of the decision-making process with the aim of not just making it quicker but also more just, in terms of really using accurate in-country information and using a single process in deciding a protection claim which should bring together all the information from the individual concerned. The issue of language is also important (the applicant’s own mother-tongue, which is what the majority of the EP tends to support or a language “likely to be understood by the applicant”, supported by the Member State governments).

It was only the is week, in a meeting of the EMPL Committee, that we decided not to discuss a report on social systems and healthcare which had a hundred amendments, because it was not available in the national language of the Czech rapporteur. He speaks good English and German but felt that in order to really understand the technicalities and nuances of the documents, he needed them in his own language. I shall remind his political group (who are not part of majority on mother-tongue for asylum applications) of this when we next have to decide on the issue of which language is appropriate in order to discuss the technicalities and nuances of an asylum claim where what is at risk is someone’s life.

I have raised these issues because I believe they are relevant to today’s subject. The length of time taken from application to decision has implications for what might be offered to asylum seekers in terms of support and work opportunities. Where will in-country information come from and how will it be assessed? The languages used require a wide pool of trained interpreters and translators who are fluent in both the relevant mother-tongue and in English and literate in both where appropriate. There is also a strong cultural element to such work – how do you enable a woman to talk about rape and sexual assault, for example, where this can be a cultural taboo but absolutely essential information for her claim? Who will be providing these services? Won’t a significant number come from refugee backgrounds? Won’t they need effective training and support?

The minimum time required to allow a full application to be presented is a crucial element of a fair policy. We are seeing enormous pressure for a rapid turn round: people’s initial applications being assessed for potential “ease of deportation”; if permitted, minimal amounts of legal time allotted; a huge range of quality in the advice offered (see the recent research from the GLA on this); a move to appeals from outside the territory; the development of the “safe” third country concept; a huge element of chance in where asylum seekers will be placed and the services available etc.

This is policy by numbers not individuals. I believe that we need to be clear that the asylum system in Europe should not be about deterrence, sufferance and an attitude of “you’re lucky to be here, be grateful for what you’re given”. We need to link our asylum policy not only to fair treatment and justice but development, as the Swedes do.

We can see the narrowing of perspectives on asylum policy even over the last five years, since EQUAL was introduced. In its majority opinion at the time, the EP said of the scope of the programme:

Considers that asylum seekers as a whole, taking all categories together, (applicants, those under temporary protection and those denied refugee status and threatened with repatriation) should be eligible for the EQUAL programme (PE 232.387. RR\403829EN.doc)

Within months of the start of EQUAL the British Government had removed the right to work for asylum seekers. Sadly, I do not believe the EP would support such a statement now.

 If we took the justice and development approach, we would aim for every individual applicant for asylum to be in a better condition personally at the end of the process, whether their claim is accepted or rejected and at whatever point, if ever, they return to their country of origin. If we link this approach to what we know about development policy, we already have a number of potential areas of empowerment and intervention. Empowerment through the acquisition of English and an understanding of the system and culture within which applicants find themselves. Intervention and development through the maintenance of existing skills and the development of new ones – not least in small business management, IT, construction, health and safety and “green” training.

 

Better Condition

 

A better condition means improvement - not least in their mental and physical health – a precondition for effective learning in terms of motivation and maintaining energy levels and attentiveness. Sound physical health requires sound nutrition and, preferable, familiar foods ideally under you own control. The ability to exercise is also important: I am not talking about gym membership but even the possibility to walk freely and safely is important. We have seen the developing importance of allotments for health and well-being and this can be of great importance to those coming from a rural background Appropriate immunisation programmes and medical care are also extremely important: I note that only this week the House of Commons Committee on Asylum has called for the reclassification of HIV/Aids as a sexually transmitted disease as this would then entitle asylum seekers to free care.

In terms of mental health, apart from stress which I’ll cover in a minute, there is a need for extended coverage of care which is patchy at best. But all people need to socialise, in their own language at times, and to feel part of a community. People also need meaningful activity, whether that is employment, cultural or social.

We are currently developing a system which demands passivity and feeds the tabloid mythology of “scroungers”. We put people on compulsory benefit and then complain they don’t contribute – what hypocrisy! In my increasingly cynical moments, I also believe that a system which denies social contact and involvement is also designed to make it easier to deport people: why care about people you don’t see and don’t know?

The reduction of stress, in so far as this is possible, through greater stability; understanding the process in which you are involved; having “trusted links” to the process, perhaps through key workers or organisations and understanding what choices might be available to you. A means of income is also crucial and an understanding of the benefits system, which may be totally new to many asylum seekers given that the ILO estimates that 80% of the world’s population face inadequate social security systems where they exist – in many countries of Africa and parts of Asia, they don’t. Maintaining links with family and/or community are also essential – which challenges our current dispersal system and leaves so many people in isolation. This is hardly the social cohesion which is an essential component of the current EU strategy.

A development approach would also recognise the value of a skills audit on entry and I know excellent work has been done on this through this EQUAL partnership. This could enable us to maintain and build on existing skills. A skills register would also enable us to combat a few more asylum myths. It could help match applicants with appropriate courses, volunteer opportunities and work placements. I know some good progress has been made on the medial side through projects I have seen in London. I also know that it has taken an enormous amount of work with the BMA, RCN and other bodies to get such programmes up and running and we should not underestimate the difficulties: strong government support would certainly help such developments.

We also know that there are particular challenges for the education system in dealing with arrivals throughout the year, language issues and places for older pupils. The GLA has also recently begun to consider the question of additional funding for schools which have to deal with increased pupil mobility – a feature of the dispersal system.

Language is another part of a development approach: both in terms of English as a Second Language (ESOL) and maintenance of mother-tongue. ESOL is important in terms of empowerment, look at the experience of the ESA Committee but even being able to ask for small things is an achievement. But it is also important to acquire the language for the situation you are in and the life you are building. I was a student of French but being able to discuss the poetry of Rimbaud was not helpful when I was being asked to discuss the “New Deal” and other UK employment measures in French (thank heavens for the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) web-site!)

The skills-based ESOL courses that are being developed under this EQUAL project are a valuable development. I would expect increased motivation for learners when the material is seen as useful and relevant as it lowers the “affective filters” – the resistance we put up to learning new things. Of course, it also makes you more effective in the workplace.

The issues here are around the shortage of affordable, accessible courses – not just within the institutions themselves but in being able to afford the travel or the childcare to access them. Continuity is also an issue when you can be moved without notice and this leads to questions about keeping up the numbers across the lifetime of a particular course.

Practice with mother-tongue speakers is also important, so developing the network and range of volunteer support becomes important: people often want to talk to their peers, people like themselves. So this can present an additional challenge.

But the mother-tongue maintenance is particularly useful as it enables people to acquire new information more quickly and helps bridge the learning gap – even young children can face a 5-year “catch-up” phase in acquiring real proficiency in additional language, to the point where they can handle abstract concepts, for example. My local college designed a child-care course aimed at Somali women, where they could learn the necessary information for qualification in their mother-tongue while also attending ESOL classes to help transform the knowledge to recognised UK qualification. Even if they didn’t manage qualification in English, they now have an improved skill-base and understanding of the national system and law.

 

What training?

 

I have already touched on the issue of maintenance and development. The skills audit could maybe also combine with a national and EU scheme to feed in to a much-needed common evaluation system of third-country qualifications – maybe a project for PROGRESS, the next EU funding scheme after EQUAL (although why we think EQUAL has to go is another issue – one I shall avoid at this point!)

Also crucial in this are is the involvement of professional bodies and employers, including support for those who are involved. Good training and supervision take time, which can be deeply frustrating when you are working with uncertain timescales under the current system and you cannot be sure you will have a potential employee at the end of the process. I believe EQUAL projects have developed some valuable expertise on employer involvement, which must not be lost.

The proper accreditation of learning is another issue and I know valuable work is also being done in this area.

If we take development as our guide then we know that the involvement of women is crucial. Promoting more and better jobs for women is seen as essential in the fight against poverty. We also know that the social economy is especially important for meaningful and sustainable employment opportunities. The work of Quaker Social Action in Tower Hamlets is a case in point, providing small start-up loans for women (a number from refugee backgrounds) to set up their own small businesses.

Therefore small business skills can be particularly useful. The ILO estimates that in much of Africa only 5-10% of new entrants to the labour market can be absorbed by the formal economy. In failed states, or post-conflict situations, infrastructure will be lacking and the ability to build up small, independent and successful businesses will be crucial to individual survival and wider well-being. Running your own business here has also proved an effective way round the discrimination facing Black and Minority Ethnic Groups (BMEs) which still scars our labour market.

IT skills are helpful at a range of levels from the personal to the marketable. They are essential for most work here and could prove a positive advantage in some countries on eventual return where there are in very short supply but essential for a developing economy.

Construction skills also have this dual use and are certainly in very short supply here. Real skill development could also lead some from the informal economy where they are paid poor rates of pay for working in dangerous conditions, to properly paid work in the formal economy.

Agriculture is often underestimated in this country, where only 2% of the population are employed in it. Yet, some 50% of the world’s active population work in agriculture although many do not earn enough to feed themselves. How to increase productivity would be very useful knowledge (and removal of harmful EU farm subsidies would also help!) and there are a number of voluntary organic schemes which could perhaps be involved.

The environmental and health and safety dimensions are certainly worth considering. We know that many countries have difficulty accessing the markets of developed countries because they have inadequate hygiene control mechanisms for example. To spread such knowledge would not only help people understand the UK workplace better but would also provide an advantage should people return to their country of origin. It could also help raise the standards of protection for workers in other countries. Trade Unions here, as well as employers, should be very interested in providing such training.

Overall, this is basically about matching individual needs to wider needs. But, we need an over-arching strategy and political commitment.

The work being done by you organisation and other EQUAL partnerships has:

 

 

There is a clear requirement for EQUAL projects to disseminate their results, as you are doing today. But that dissemination should have clear political effect and assist the development and guidance of policy. I will help in any way I can to help this get out in London and Brussels (the “Sun” now has a correspondent in Brussels who should really hear about this!)

You have done your job. It is now for politicians like me to do ours. We have to change policy from this mean, begrudging policy of deter and deport to one committed to development, based on respect for the individual. If five years ago, we could have a positive vision for asylum seekers at EU level, we can do it again. I like a challenge.