Working Lives Research Institute
Speakers: Don Flynn and Wilf Sullivan
To download Don Flynn's introduction click on the link below: (12 mins 38 sec)
Don Flynn 2 April 2008
To download Wilf Sullivan's introduction click on the link below: (12 mins 30 sec)
Wilf Sullivan 2 April 2008
About the talk:
Our two speakers, both activists and practitioners, will consider differing and sometimes divergent explanations of migrant workers' experiences including of discrimination from the state, media and local communities. The seminar will present two views. The first points out that discrimination experienced by migrant workers from Eastern Europe does not mean that colour racism has disappeared. Instead, it will be argued, a pattern is emerging that distinguishes between migrant workers and immigrants, documented and undocumented workers but one which is fundamentally built on the assimilationist idea that good race relations can only be achieved by minimising access to the UK by non whites. The second perspective will explore the link between racist moods as an outcome of mediations between fatalistic conceptions of globalisation and the populist concerns of mainstream politics. This perspective asks whether and how anti racist struggles should be extended to encompass migrant rights in order to take account of the new context of internationalised societies and economies.
About the speakers:
Don Flynn has worked in the field of migration policy since the mid-1970s, when he started work as a caseworker at a London law centre. Since then he has worked as policy officer for the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants. He currently leads the Migrants Rights Network, which works to improve networking between migrant and refugee community organisations and other civil society organisations working to support the rights of all migrants. He is also involved in networking with migrants' rights organisations across Europe, currently serving as the Chair of PICUM the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants. He is also one of the editors of the recent collection of essays Towards a Progressive Immigration Policy, published by Compass & the Barrow Cadbury Trust (September 2007).
Wilf Sullivan has worked as the TUC Race Equality Officer since December 2004. Prior to this he worked for UNISON (when it was called NALGO) as a Regional full-time officer for ten years and then in 2000 he became UNISON's National Black Members Officer. He is active on race equality policy matters both inside and outside of the trade union movement and is currently Vice Chair of the UK Race and Europe Network. He has previously been Executive Board member of the European Network Against Racism and sits on a number of race equality research academic advisory boards.