East is East?

East is East?

Owners of Indian and Chinese restaurants in the UK are now being asked to hire East European nationals to work in their kitchens and front of house, rather than source their labour supply from the Indian subcontinent.

Officials say that East Europeans would now need to be given preference in the labour market, after their countries joined the EU.

Ministers have reportedly told owners of Indian and Chinese restaurants that English should be spoken in kitchens, so that vacancies can be filled by East Europeans.

This move is causing discontent amongst the owners of the restaurants.

Representatives of Chinese restaurants have already lobbied with MPs to save the industry.

Ashraf Uddin, secretary-general of the Bangladesh Caterers' Association, said:

"Unless they know our culture, our language, our way of working, it's a complete mess."