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40 years of discrimination, says union
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IN FULL Unite statement: In a small corner of what was the British Empire, 1,200 Moroccans continue to experience 40 years of multi-layered discrimination at the hands of the Gibraltarian authorities.
The Moroccans, who were invited to Gibraltar to boost the workforce when Spanish dictator Franco closed the border in 1969, continue to be denied such basic human rights as the right to vote and access to affordable public housing.
This is because very few Moroccans have been successful in gaining citizenship rights because of the adoption of an unclear and arbitrary immigration policy by the Gibraltarian Government, according to Unite, the largest union in the self-governing territory.
Unite, which is revitalising its campaign for equality of treatment for the Moroccan and other non-dom workers in Gibraltar, has pinpointed five areas of discrimination.
Naturalisation Moroccan workers, many of whom have been resident for several decades, have struggled to obtain naturalisation.
Family rights the families of the Moroccan workers are not allowed to live with their loved ones families are only permitted to visit during the summer.
Civil rights despite paying taxes they are denied the right to vote.
Housing they have no access to affordable public housing and thus are reduced to hostels or sub-standard private accommodation.
Public sector and welfare benefits the family members of workers are denied many public health services when visiting their working husbands and wives. There are also problems regarding access to education for the children of migrant workers, and limited rights to employment benefits.
The hard-line stance of the Gibraltar Government contrasts with the position if a Moroccan was living in the UK if they had working continuously in the UK for five years or resident lawfully for 10 years, they could expect an Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) to be granted.
Kevin Coyne, Unites national officer leading the campaign, said: It is clear that the Gibraltar Government exercises its residency and immigration laws in a whimsical and arbitrary manner the result is a cocktail of inhumanity that shames the standards that the UK purports to stand for.
Unite will be revitalising its campaign to achieve the justice and basic human rights that they have been denied these last 40 years.
07-07-10
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