For the first time the government, CBI and TUC have issued a joint statement declaring how each will help the immigration system to best aid UK interests.
In a statement from the Home Office, the government said the UK needed the skills and enthusiasm of people from around the world “now more than ever”.
“The country needs to invest wisely in their potential within the context of a migration system that is managed in the national interest,” the statement said.
The government said it would:
- Consult employers and trade unions about migration policies that are in the interests of Britain and were set out in its manifesto
- Support sustainable economic growth and address skill shortages
- Seek to ensure that the public understands clearly who is allowed into the UK and why, and also the vital contribution of migrants to the British economy
- Support the recognition and accreditation of overseas qualifications wherever they match British standards
- Respect the need of developing countries to retain skilled professionals
- Provide support for the teaching of English to ensure migrants are able to contribute fully to the life of the country
- Keep bureaucracy to a minimum in its dealings with employers about migrant workers and introduce a simpler, clearer and more effective scheme for those wishing to come and work here that focuses on those with the skills to benefit Britain
- Protect the legal rights of migrant workers.
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The CBI will:
- Promote the case for legal and managed migration, support measures to eradicate illegal working and help companies and employees move from the illegal economy to the legal economy
- Promote integrated and diverse workforces, including migrant workers
- Work with CBI members and government to encourage the provision of English language teaching for those who need it
- Consult CBI members on policies that affect migrant workers and represent those views to government.
The TUC will:
- Provide migrant workers with information about their legal rights
- Assist its affiliates to organise migrants and represent their interests in the workplace
- Promote equality of pay and conditions for migrant workers and harmonious relations between workers from different countries of origin
- Protect migrants from exploitation
- Consult affiliated unions on policies that affect migrant workers and represent those views to government.
