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New Communist Party of Britain

IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM

The New Communist Party recognises the need for any sovereign state to set an immigration policy in accordance with its resources. But we firmly oppose any immigration policy that discriminates, either directly or indirectly, on the basis of race, creed, colour or gender.

Exactly the same labour laws that cover indigenous workers must protect immigrants into Britain and the Government must enforce these laws pro-actively to ensure that immigrants are not exploited or used as cheap labour. It must never be more profitable for a boss to employ one worker rather than another on the basis of where they were born.

We recognise that some trade unions are making efforts to recruit and inform immigrant workers of their rights and we support this work and call for it to be extended.

The use by some employers of bogus self-employed status to circumvent labour laws must be outlawed.

The use of European Union rules that allow contractors to import labour from one country to another to be employed under worse labour terms and conditions than those of the country where the work is done must be opposed.

Imported contract labour should be recruited on an equal basis to that of local labour, with local people entitled to apply for any new job. Wages and conditions should be equal for all and local and imported workers should be allowed to work side by side on equal terms and conditions with equal access to trade union representation.

We call for the repeal of the Immigration and Asylum Acts of the 1990s, passed by both Tory and Labour governments, which make it very difficult for many genuine asylum seekers to establish their claims.

Asylum seekers must be treated humanely and their claims dealt with swiftly. While this process takes place they must be given decent accommodation and welfare benefits to survive. No asylum seekers should be locked up unless there is good reason, with evidence, to believe they are criminals. No child asylum seeker should ever be locked up.