London, Sept 10 (IRNA) Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) Muhammad Abdul Bari is to make an unprecedented speech at this year's annual Trades Union Congress in Brighton, southern England next week.

Bari, who will be the first Muslim leader to address the Congress in its 138th year history, will be speaking on issues affecting Britain's 1.8 million Muslim community when the vent opens on Monday.

According to MCB, these will relate to social inclusion, poverty, discrimination in the workplace, the high incidence of Muslim unemployment and social mobility of the community.

During the five-day Congress, IRNA has also learnt that the MCB will sign a joint statement with the TUC on efforts to work together "in support of workplace justice and against Islamophobia".

Bari said that various researches on the economic state of Muslims in Britain paints a "dire portrait" of unemployed, underemployed and suffering from a catalogue of reinforcing deprivations, caused by widespread discrimination.

"This opportunity to address the TUC Congress on the difficulties Muslims experience in the workplace, and to begin a process of mutual endeavour to reverse these trends, is something I look forward to with great zeal and determination," he said.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said he was delighted that Bari is able to join the congress and that he was sure delegates will welcome the opportunity to hear first hand about the issues facing a substantial group in society.

The Muslim community, "as the figures show clearly, still face discrimination in the workplace," Barber said. He also added that he looked forward to developing relations "to help Muslims achieve workplace justice and counter Islamophobia."
The joint statement stipulates that while there exist differences in the origins of the two organisations, there are many common goals and objectives shared by the MCB and the TUC.

Among them is the "need to tackle discrimination in the workplace, fuelled by prejudice, and high unemployment of Muslims in the British labour market as substantiated by the TUC report of 2005." The TUC pledges to "use its networks to counter widespread misunderstanding of Islam and the way the religion relates to modern society."
In turn, the MCB said it will "use its networks to raise awareness within the Muslim community of the values of union membership and the important role which unions have in seeking justice and fair treatment in the workplace and in wider society."

The TUC has 66 affiliated unions representing nearly seven million working people from all walks of life in the UK. It campaigns for a "fair deal at work and for social justice at home and abroad." 2220/345/1771