New immigration rules prevent the owners from recruiting chefs from Indian sub-continent, and many owners and consumers are facing an acute problem. This crisis facing the 3.5-billion-pound Indian restaurant industry is scheduled to hit London streets today as thousands of chefs, owners and consumers stage a three-hour protest against restrictive immigration rules. The protest has been joined by Chinese and Turkish restaurant industries facing similar staff shortage problems. |
The protest has been organised by the newly formed Ethnic Catering Alliance, representing over 40,000 restaurants. Connoisseurs of Indian cuisine believe that cooking food is a cultural process that needs the right material and cultural inputs.
They believe that without years of experience and sensitivity, it cannot be prepared by people from outside the Indian cultural zone. But Indian restaurant owners here have been encouraged to employ Polish, Bulgarian or other migrants from the expanded European Union who do not need permits to work in Britain.
Also Read
Leaders of these large migrant communities claim they can cook Indian dishes equally well, but the owners disagree, who insist that only chefs from the Indian sub-continent can do the job well.
The 'Ethnic Catering Alliance' believes that nearly 30 per cent of its restaurants are under threat because of the new rules requiring non-European Union origin staff to meet strict criteria, including a demonstrable ability to speak English.
In March, Indian restaurant owners staged a protest against the new immigration rules outside the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh. Alex Salmond, the First Minister, described the issue as "really serious".
Foysol Choudhury, general secretary of the 'Bangladesh Samity Association' in Edinburgh, said: "Our chefs don't need to speak English. Their curry talks. The Indian restaurant industry contributes 3.2 billion pounds to the British economy.