Racism against migrants ‘can lead to suicide’

THE failure of the British and Irish governments to protect migrant workers is leading some desperate immigrants to take their own lives, the biennial conference of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) heard yesterday.

Pamela Dooley, an official from Britain’s largest public service union, Unison, said racism from employers, colleagues and government departments was a daily part of life for thousands in Ireland and Britain.

Ms Dooley said the worst case scenario, involving an immigrant nurse who had committed suicide, had already happened.

“We recently faced the worst possible case of a nurse who took her own life because of the treatment she faced,” she said.

Ms Dooley’s call came two days after three Polish workers were attacked in Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh, while further harassment in the North against Chinese, Pakistani, Ugandan, Portuguese, Filipino, Lithuanian and Latvian workers have been reported.

In the south, the Gama scandal and the plight of Polish workers in Dublin’s Port Tunnel have been to the fore in recent months.

Yesterday’s conference also heard that pay for members increased by 8.5% in the past 18 months.

IMPACT national secretary Louise O’Donnell said unions needed to promote their activities if they wanted to attract well-educated and ambitious workers.

“Too often we behave as if it’s a moral, political or ideological duty to join a union. It’s not, and this attitude won’t attract the people we need to convince,” she said.