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date: 6 October 2009

embargo: 00.01hrs Wednesday 7 October 2009

'Lost skills' in the spotlight on World Day For Decent Work

The Northern TUC is to use World Day for Decent Work (WDDW), which takes place today (Wednesday), to highlight the many skills that are currently being lost to the region's economy.

At a conference being held today (Wednesday) at Newcastle City Library, delegates will hear about the migrant workers and refugees across the North East who are now working in low-paid, unskilled jobs, but who previously worked as highly skilled professionals before they came to the UK.

The event will examine the problems that occur in the years that it can take for asylum seekers to be granted refugee status, a time during which they are unable to work. When refugees are finally able to join the labour market, the Northern TUC is concerned that these workers will have lost the skills they arrived with, and as a result are forced to take up unskilled, low paid, temporary work.

unionlearn Regional Manager Elizabeth Killoran said: 'It's really important that this year's World Day for Decent Work is highlighting lost skills. Often the migrant communities are the hardest for unions to reach and so they can have little access to training and as a result better paid, more highly skilled job opportunities. These skills are also being lost to the regional economy.

'This event will show the valuable work unions are doing to improve the skills and employment prospects of vulnerable workers across the region.'

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- Speakers at the event include Ben Sellers, Vulnerable Workers Project, Northern TUC; Dr Mohammed Nasreldin, Refugee Employment Project Manager, North of England Refugee Service; Panganai Svotwa, Leader of the Regional Refugee Forum (North East) Skilled Project; Samouka Dore, Leader of the Regional Refugee Forum Right to Work Campaign Group; Jonathan Ellis, Head of Policy and Development, Refugee Council and Elvis Katoto, Regional Refugee Forum (North East) Right to Work Campaign Group.

Venue details:

Newcastle City Library, 33 New Bridge Street West, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 8ER

Time: 13:00 - 16:00

- WDDW is organised by the International Trade Union Confederation, focusing attention on the urgent need for a new kind of globalisation with the demand for decent work at its heart. The Day highlights issues such as a low pay, migration, discrimination, forced labour, the freedom to organise and the informal economy with the aim that everyone should be able to have a job that enables them to live a good life with their basic needs met.

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Contacts:

Media enquiries:

Ben Sellers T: 0191 227 5566; M: 07747 025982 E: bsellers@tuc.org.uk

Press release (500 words) issued 7 Oct 2009