Colin Neill, Chief Executive, Hospitality Ulster
“The Home Office’s proposed skills criteria and salary threshold for workers from overseas will simply decimate the local hospitality sector.”
“Those classified as ‘unskilled’ and those earning below £25,600 will no longer be allowed to work here. Employees with soft skills (classified as ‘unskilled’) are a vital element of the success of the Northern Ireland hospitality and tourism offer, however, they have been ignored. What sort of message does that send out to the world? How many hospitality businesses will now not be able to fill vacancies right across the sector?”
“There has been failure to take into consideration the unique set of circumstances here; complete ignorance of the importance of our sector in particular; and demonstrates absolute contempt for our position.”
“Northern Ireland is unique as the only part of the UK with a land border with the EU, and a labour market more distinct from the rest of the UK. We have been cut adrift and this attitude that we will just have to fend for ourselves won’t wash.”
“This is not about cheap labour, our industry has over 30,000 job vacancies to fill by 2024 and we need 2,000 chefs, with a declining birth rate and near full employment in Northern Ireland, these proposals will damage our economy and limit plans to grow the tourism economy to a £2bn industry.”
“This is nothing short of a disgrace and we are calling on our First and deputy First Minister to intervene immediately to make direct representations to the Home Office and the Prime Minister on the exceptional circumstances the sector is now faced with.”