Mendis job frozen by Labour group | Socialist Action 1983

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ON 18 May the Manchester city Labour group decided not to let Viraj Mendis start his job as immigration and nationality officer until the home office gives him the right to stay in Britain.

The decision has created a lot of dissatisfaction, not only among Labour Party members but also in the black community.

Mendis has now been in sanctuary for more than five months to stop his deportation to sri Lanka. This is the official excuse for the Labour group not to give Mendis his job straightaway. It claims that he can only do the job if he The real reason is somewhat different. The city council has been under tremendous charter pressure from the home office, the right wing media and from racists.

instead of standing firm against this racist pressure and defending the council's equal opportunity policies, the Labour group decided to back down. But when you please your enemies you lose your friends.

Before the group took its decision, the city LABOUT CAVAG already voted to support Mendis taking up his job pointment, an ALGO has written the council leader Graham Stringer asking why Viraj Mendis is not allowed to start his work Labour Party wards and individuals like joan Lestor PPC, Sharon Atkin and others are sending letters to Stringer to protest the decision.