Main fundraiser photo

MASI Right to Work Campaign



WE WANT THE RIGHT TO WORK! Asylum Seekers in Ireland are barred from working but we are ready, eager and willing to work. 


Who Are We? 

MASI is the collective Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland, a platform for asylum seekers to join together in unity and purpose.
We seek justice, freedom and dignity for all asylum seekers. We are calling for a full, immediate, unrestricted Right to Work. 


What is the Right to Work? 


For many years Ireland was one of only two countries in the EU that had a total ban on the right to work for asylum seekers. The government has been forced by a Supreme Court ruling last year to make some provision for a right to work for asylum seekers. They are due to announce what this right to work will look like at the end of June. The 'interim measures' that the government has put in place are extremely restrictive and allow very very few people any access to work.  

A meaningful Right to Work will allow us to make a vital contribution to Irish economy and society. Direct Provision and the asylum system rob us of our dignity. The Right to Work would give us back our independence and sense of worth. Direct Provision deprives our children of their childhoods. With parents who are working and able to provide for them, our children can regain their childhood and their hope for the future. 

We need YOU to support our campaign and to help us amplify our voices. We know that the government will try to restrict the Right to Work as much as possible while giving the appearance of granting us the right to work and hoping that we will go away and stay in the ghetto of Direct Provision. The recent referendum to repeal the 8th and the movement that made it happen shows us the importance of people power in achieving transformative change. If people join with us in putting as much pressure as possible on the government and spreading awareness of the campaign for the Right to Work as far and wide as possible, we have some hope of moving closer to a real, meaningful Right to Work for all people in the asylum system. A real, meaningful, unrestricted Right to Work is a vital step toward ending Direct Provision, because it would start to break down the system of enforced dependency, segregation and isolation, and the total destruction of human beings that is at the core of Direct Provision. 


What will donations be used for? 

We are raising much needed funds to organise and push forward this campaign quickly. Everyone in MASI is living in Direct Provision and living on €21.90 a week. Unlike other activist groups who have access to financial and other resources and who can rely on individual members to cover some costs, MASI does not have any such safety-net. We are planning a launch of the Right to Work campaign in Dublin on June 14th and we are planning information and organising events in Limerick and elsewhere.

Any money we raise will help cover the cost of transportation for people in the Direct Provision centres around Ireland to come together for these and other events and organising meetings. It will cover costs such as venue hire, food costs, as well as printing costs and other costs associated with running a successful campaign. 

For everyone who is interested in the self-determination and dignity of asylum seekers in Ireland fighting for themselves, please join our campaign and give what you can.


What other actions can you take to join the campaign?

There are many other really vital ways that you can join this campaign and support our call for unrestricted and meaningful Right to Work and to support MASI in our long-term campaign to End Direct Provision:

- Share our fundraiser on Facebook, Twitter, and in any groups you are part of;

- Like and follow Right to Work on Facebook  and MASI on Facebook and share the campaign leaflet and flyers far and wide;

- Write to TDs and Senators, especially to government members and your local representatives calling on them to support the unrestricted Right to Work for all asylum seekers.

- If you are in any groups or networks that want to get involved in the struggle to End Direct Provision, let them know about MASI and the Right to Work campaign and get in touch with us for more information via the Right To Work Facebook page. 


What MASI's Right to Work campaign is calling for:

Immediate access to the labour market for all asylum seekers, including people in the Direct Provision system now

Same labour rights as EU and Irish citizens

Access to the social protection system for citizens and non-citizens alike

No restrictions as to which jobs can be taken up by asylum seekers

Full and free access to enterprise supports and start-up grants

No work permit fees

No minimum salary requirement (currently this is 30k, a salary that is completely out of the reach of most asylum seekers)

Standard minimum wage to be paid by employers (no to exploitation of vulnerable migrant workers)

Right to trade union recognition and membership for all asylum seekers and refugees

Right to open a bank account 

Right to hold a driver's license

Official recognition of the qualifications, skills, and experience that we bring with us 

Access to up-skilling and re-skilling, and to education and training opportunities free from fees 

The Right to Work should not invalidate our right to accommodation, to medical cards, and the other very limited supports that we have available to us in Direct Provision.


Join Right To Work on Facebook 

MASI - Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland on Facebook 

Also check out these grassroots migrant justice groups who are also involved in the Right to Work campaign in solidarity with MASI: 

ARN - Anti-Racism Network Ireland 

RAMSI - Refugee and Migrant Solidarity Ireland 



Donations 

  • michael heneghan
    • €10 
    • 4 yrs

Organizer

MASI Movement of Asylum Seekers Ireland
Organizer

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