Migrant and ethnic minority workers; Challenging trade unions

European TUC, paperback, 112 pages, can be downloaded free from www.etuc.org/EN/dossiers and click on Racism and discrimination

This book is based on a survey of the issues faced by unions and by migrant and ethnic minority workers in 16 European countries including the UK.

Almost all the countries involved agreed that migrants and ethnic minorities faced particular problems in the labour market with high levels of unemployment, low pay - particularly for women - and slow rates of promotion.

Although language difficulties are among the problems faced, others include the refusal to acknowledge the skills and training which some migrants had in their home country, the lack of residence rights and - above all - racial prejudice.

The countries surveyed were Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.