‘Curry Crisis’ Rocks Scotland

Shortage of curry chefs as immigration changes start to bite

Back to the haggis.

http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=133

CURRY restaurants are facing an “unprecedented crisis” due to tough new immigration laws, one of Britain’s leading Asian businessmen said yesterday.

Enam Ali, the founder of the British Curry Awards, warned that immigration rules were forcing Indian restaurant owners to take on unskilled workers from the UK or EU rather than bring in trained chefs from the sub-continent.

Mr Ali said that unless restaurants could get help to fill job vacancies in their kitchens, the shortage of skilled staff threatened the future of the £3.2 billion industry.

Mr Ali made his comments at a lunch in Edinburgh to mark the achievement of the city’s Britannia Spice restaurant in winning a hat-trick of British Curry Awards.The First Minister, Alex Salmond, and Edinburgh’s Lord Provost, George Grubb, were principal guests.

Mr Ali, who presented a special award to restaurant owner Dr Wali Uddin, said: “We are facing an unprecedented crisis that, if not resolved, could decimate our industry. Each year, our sector has to recruit several thousand new staff to work in our kitchens.

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/uk/Shortage-of-curry-chefs-as.3652353.jp

Says a Scottish Western Voices reader: As with the pro-illegal alien sign in the United States, “No Illegals, No Tacos,” pro-immigration advocates come up with some of the most unintentionally humourous (and actually vaguely racist) arguments. The implication here seems to be that if the Scots get a handle on out of control immigration they’ll be back to a forced diet of haggis and oatmeal porridge.

2008-01-11