A GYPSY immigrant who came to Derby from Slovakia has spoken about the discrimination that forces his people to leave their home countries.
Koloman Slepcik, 25, is one of hundreds of Eastern European migrants looking for work at city training centre JET.
In January 2012, JET dealt with 993 job-seekers but in the same month this year 2,852 people were looking for work, most of whom were Eastern European.
The centre's chief executive, Mohammed Sharief, said: "We are close to breaking point."
Mr Slepcik learned English and did packing work in London but is now jobless and has moved to Derby so he can afford to pay rent.
He said he moved to the UK at the age of 18 because Roma people are discriminated against in his home country.
His comments came after the city council said it was to lobby Whitehall for cash to help create better housing and more school places to cope with an increase in Eastern European migrants.
Officials also want to know why the EU is not doing more to stop anti-Roma racism in Eastern Europe.
The Roma, also known as gypsies, have long been targeted by racists and scores of them are expected to be among Bulgarian and Romanian migrants coming to Derby next year under new European "freedom of movement" rules.
Mr Slepcik said: "I worked in Slovakia for three months as a street cleaner. It was the only job I could get.
"I knew people who were told they couldn't get jobs because they were Roma."
He said that gypsies "across the planet" suffered discrimination but the situation was better in the UK.
Mr Slepcik said: "If you are white and you go into a restaurant in Slovakia you just go and take a seat, but if you are Roma, you show your ID.
"There are no Roma people in high positions to stick up for us."
Mr Slepcik lost his job seven months ago and moved to Derby earlier this year with his son, six, and daughter, seven. He said state benefits allowed him to pay his bills and feed his children, but anything else, like new clothes, he could not afford.
He said he was "worried" he might not get another job and was concerned that an influx of new migrants from Bulgaria and Romania would make the situation worse.
Mr Slepcik said: "They will get more chances because they will do cheaper labour.
"They might work for £1 an hour because they don't know their rights.
" I'm young, I want a job, I want to do something for my children."
chris.mallett@derbytelegraph.co.uk
