Forced labour …

exploitation of migrant workers in Northern Ireland

The first study to explore forced labour of migrant workers in Northern Ireland was published on 7 June 2011 by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

As might be expected, research on this issue wasn’t easy to do: given their circumstances, the migrant workers were understandably reluctant to talk about their experiences. Despite this, the research (led by the Institute for Conflict Research in Belfast) uncovered employer behaviour that demonstrated deliberate exploitation and, in some cases, forced labour. The majority of workers interviewed had the right to live and work in the UK.

The study used the International Labour Organisation's indicators of forced labour and found evidence of all of these indicators:

• Jobs often did not match the promises made to migrant workers before they left home or started their jobs.
• Workers reported very long hours of work for less than the minimum wage.
• Working conditions were often poor, with lack of regard paid to health and safety.
• There were examples of paperwork – such as identity documents – being taken away by employers, and sometimes payslips were non-existent or incomplete.
• Some workers were not able to claim sick pay and were expected to be at the beck and call of their employer.
• In extreme cases, researchers found instances of workers subjected to acts or threats of physical violence.

The workers in this study were not naïve. They were aware they were being exploited, but were trapped in the situation with few options available to them. Some workers were fearful of asking for help or complaining. In some cases leaving a job would also mean losing a home, as accommodation was tied to their job. Ultimately, though, the work still paid better than at home or the alternative of no job at all.

Although the UK already has a wide range of legislation to tackle labour exploitation, it seems some employers still create and exploit vulnerability among migrant workers. The study makes significant recommendations for the Northern Ireland Government, community organisations, employers, and trade unions to work with.

We hope this study will contribute to ending the exploitation of migrant workers in Northern Ireland. Over the next few months JRF will be publishing more research on the topic of forced labour. It will reveal new evidence of the problem elsewhere in the UK, what the causes are and what we need to do if we are to eradicate severe exploitation of the most vulnerable workers.

Read the report summary (PDF 4pp 0.1MB) or the full report (PDF 70pp 0.3MB)

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