ASYLUM seekers and refugees will this week join the launch of the latest phase of the Lift the Ban campaign on working rights.
More than 180,000 people have signed a petition calling for the UK Government to give people seeking asylum the right to work while their cases are handled by the Home Office – a process that can take years and leaves people reliant on state support worth just £5.66 per day.
Glasgow MP Carol Monaghan raised a private members bill aimed at overturning the rule, but changes to Commons sittings meant this didn't progress through parliament. Now she's working on new ways to change the law.
Monaghan will be amongst those at the online Right to Work: Campaign Gathering and Animation Launch by Maryhill Integration Network (MIN) next week.
People currently seeking asylum and third sector workers will also be amongst the speakers, with three short animations highlighting the campaign set to be launched.
Organiser and MIN development officer Pinar Aksu, whose family was held in immigration for two months when she was a teenager, said: "We have many members who have been in the asylum system for years – teachers, nurses, accountants, chefs and more banned from working.
READ MORE: Asylum seekers going months without receiving any money, MSPs told
"They cannot share their skills, practise their expertise and as a result are prevented from being part of our communities and society. Lifting the Ban will provide dignified living conditions."
Monaghan, of the SNP, says she is "determined" that her Asylum Seekers (Permission to Work) Bill "has its deserved moment of debate" and will try to raise it as a Ten Minute Rule Bill as well as resubmitting the Bill into the draw for the next parliamentary session.
The Glasgow North West MP said: "I am actively pursuing other avenues of submission. I am already in the process of drafting a Westminster Hall debate application, so that I may raise awareness of the Bill and its policy aims, scrutinise current UK Government legislation, generate cross-party support, and received a guaranteed ministerial response to the debate.
"Numerous constituents have first-hand experience of the exclusionary asylum process currently in place. I will continue to push for progressive and forward-looking legislative change in this area."
Sabir Zazai, chief executive of the Scottish Refugee Council, commented: "We’re proud to join Maryhill Integration Network and partners to call for UK policymakers to lift the ban on the right to work for asylum seekers.
"While most people seeking asylum are denied the right to work by the Home Office, many make huge impacts in their communities through voluntary work.
READ MORE: ‘Right this wrong’ for married EU women living in UK, Home Office urged
"But every day, we work with people seeking refugee protection who are desperate to contribute their talents and skills and play a full part in Scottish society through paid work.
"Being able to take on paid work is crucial for people to live independently, have control over their own lives, and integrate more fully into their new communities."
Free tickets for the Tuesday session are available on the eventbrite website.
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