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Economic Migration
Key Institutions
There
are a number of institutions that play a key role within the managed
migration system, from civil society organisations and professional
representative bodies to statutory organisations and government
departments. However underpinning the managed migration system are
specific bodies that will be relied upon to advise the government
on aspects of economic migration and its wider impacts. These
key institutions are outlined below:
- Border
and Immigration Agency
- Migration
Advisory Committee
- Migration
Impacts Forum
- Skills
for Business Network - Sector Skills Council
- Commission
for Racial Equality
- Trades
Unions Council
- Confederation
of British Industry
- Gangmasters
Licensing Authority
Border
and Immigration Agency
The
Border and Immigration Agency is a new executive agency of the Home
Office. The Agency assumes the responsibilities of the Immigration
and Nationality Directorate (IND) for managing immigration control
in the UK.
The
Agency is responsible for administering the managed migration routes
into the UK
labour market for people who want to work here and deciding applications
for work permits and entry under other schemes.
Border and Immigration Agency:
ht tp://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk
Migration
Advisory Committee
Underpinning
the new points-based managed migration system is the Migration Advisory
Committee (MAC). The MAC operates in an advisory capacity and is a
non-statutory and non-departmental public body that was established
in April 2007.
The
broad remit of the MAC is to provide independent and evidence-based
advice to the Government on where specific sectors and occupations
in the labour market are facing acute shortages and where migration
might sensibly fill these skills gaps in the economy.
While
the MAC will consider wider questions around migration under the points-based
system - economic, fiscal and wider impacts - the overall tilt of
the MAC appears to be towards determining and advising on:
- the operational threshold
between skilled and lower-skilled workers within the points-based
system;
- how to designate shortage
sectors and producing Shortage Occupation Lists; and
- the sectors and size
and duration of quotas for lower skilled migration from Bulgaria and Romania.
The
MAC will be composed of independent experts and other key stakeholders
and is expected to become fully operational in 2008.
Migration Advisory Committee: http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/6353/6356/17715/MAC_TOR.pdf
Migration Impacts Forum
To
complement the work of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) and
to ensure there is an alignment with the wider integration policy
agenda, the Migration Impacts Forum (MIF) was established with the
remit of examining the wider social impact of migration on local communities,
for example on local education or health services.
The
specific terms of reference of the MIF are to provide information
on the social benefits of migration and to identify how public services
can effectively and efficiently respond and adjust to migration flows.
The MIF will also identify and share good practice in managing transitional
impacts and/or adjustment requirements.
Migration Impacts Forum: http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/6353/6356/17715/MIF_TOR.pdf
Skills
for Business Network - Sector Skills Councils
The
Skills for Business network and the 25 Sector Skills Councils (SSC)
aim to boost the productivity and profitability of the UK by providing
employment forecasts and by identifying skills gaps and shortages
on a sector by sector basis. By coming together with government and
in particular the Migration Advisory Committee their remit will ensure
that future migration policy supports the skills and labour needs
of employers and support the work of the MAC in determining shortage
occupations and sectors.
Sector Skills Councils:
http://www.ssda.org.uk/ssda/default.aspx?page=2
Commission
for Racial Equality
The
Commission for Racial Equality (CRE)
is a non-departmental public body which works towards the elimination
of racial discrimination, promotes equality of opportunity and encourages
good relations between people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds.
In
2001, the Race Relations Act was amended to give public authorities
a new statutory duty to promote race equality. The overall aim is
to help public authorities to provide fair and accessible services
and to improve equal opportunities in employment.
As a result of the statutory duty, public authorities are required
to produce and publish a race equality scheme. The arrangements that
make up a race equality scheme includes a specific duty to ensure
that all relevant policy and legislative proposals are subject to
a race equality impact assessment (REIA).
A race equality impact assessment involves a systematic and thorough
assessment of the effects that a proposed law or policy is likely
to have on people, depending on their racial group. Racial groups are groups defined by colour, race, nationality
or ethnic or national origins.The most recent example of an REIA of
immigration law and policy is the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality
Bill 2005 (received Royal Assent on 30 March 2006).
For further information: http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/6353/6356/10630/reiaimmigrationasylumandnat1.pdf
Commission for Racial Equality:
http://www.cre.gov.uk
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress (TUC)
works with 66 affilated unions representing nearly seven million working
people. The TUC campaigns
for a fair deal at work and for social justice at home and abroad.
They also negotiate in Europe and
at home, building links with political parties, business, local communities
and wider society.
The TUC supports the freedom
of movement of workers in the European Union and supports a managed
migration system for those outside the EU, based on the principles
of workers’ rights.
Once in the UK, many migrant workers are unaware
of their legal rights or unable to enforce them and face exploitation
at work as a result. The TUC
fights for equal rights for migrant workers, and assists unions to
recruit, represent and organise migrant workers. The TUC
has produced a leaflet for people coming to work in the UK giving information
about their legal rights to work in this country.
Trades Union Congress:
http://www.tuc.org.uk
Confederation Of British Industry
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) mission statement is to help create and sustain
the conditions in which businesses in the United Kingdom can compete and prosper
for the benefit of all.
By working together with the government, private and public sector
companies and trade, employer and organisations, the CBI
works to ensure that managed migration enables companies to resolve
skills and labour shortages by seeking employees from abroad.
In 2005, the CBI, TUC
and the Home Office issued a joint statement setting out their respective
obligations in managing migration. The CBI
stated they would:
- 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; and
- consult CBI members on policies that affect migrant workers
and represent those views to Government
Confederation of British Industry:
http://www.cbi.org.uk
Gangmasters Licensing Authority
The Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) was established by the Gangmasters
(Licensing) Authority Regulations 2005, to safeguard the interests
and welfare of workers in the agricultural,
horticultural and shellfish gathering businesses.
The GLA regulates labour providers by having established a U.K.
wide licensing scheme and creating a register of gangmasters operating
in the designated industries:
- agriculture;
- horticulture;
- shellfish gathering; and
- associated processing
and packaging industries.
It is now illegal to supply workers to the agriculture and food processing
and packaging sectors without a GLA licence.
There have been criticims and concern about the scope of the GLA. As
the TUC has recognised,
the licensing requirements for the farming and food sectors could
simply force unscrupulous labour suppliers to move into sectors such
as cleaning, construction and hospitality where there are currently
no such restrictions. Instead the TUC
supports a comprehensive scheme covering all employment agencies.
Gangmasters Licensing Authority:
http://www.gla.gov.uk
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