|
VULNERABLE WORKERS
Latest news
Britain
HSE migrant worker webpages
Thailand Migrants
start compensation test case
Thailand Migrants
face death or deportation
Britain Tube
bosses renege on agency staff
Britain Temporary
workers bill moves forward
Global Temporary
workers are at greater risk
Canada Temps
hide the unsafe truth
Britain Mystery
worker reveals temp exploitation
Global The
dangerous world of child labour
Britain ‘Serious
risk’ of new migrant tragedies
MORE NEWS
RESOURCES
UK
CoVE TUC Commission
on Vulnerable Employment
USA Working Immigrants
A weblog about the business
of immigrant work
USA NYCOSH
migrants webpages on occupational and environmental safety and health
for immigrant and other vulnerable workers
UK Safety and migrant workers: A practical
guide for safety representatives, TUC, June 2007 [pdf]
 Who's
protecting the migrant workers?
Police are investigating whether 19 people who died picking cockles in
Morecambe Bay were illegal immigrants working for a gang. The cocklers,
who are believed to be Chinese, were working at night on 5 February when
they were caught in rising tides.
The deaths, which police say are suspicious, have sparked calls for more
protection of migrant workers. Many are recruited by unregulated gangmasters
and are effectively indentured labour, relying on the gangs for their
jobs and their accommodation. Frequently employed illegally, they face
low pay, hazardous working conditions and abuse.
Successive governments have rejected union calls to regulate the gangmasters.
Instead, clampdowns like "Operation Gangmaster" in the mid-1990s have
resulted in little action against the gangmasters. Instead, most enforcement
action has hurt the exploited workforce, targeting benefit fraud or immigration
offences.
• Government fails to
act on gangmasters
• Ethical trading
pilot highlights need for registration and new laws
Lancashire police have launched a criminal investigation into the Morecambe
tragedy. Tony Lombari, an ethnic liaison officer for Norfolk police, was
already investigating reports from the Chinese community of migrants "digging
fish" in Lancashire. "My concerns were that if they were exploited
in an industry that would combine illegal workers with boats and water,
they would be in danger," he said.
Commenting on the Morecambe deaths, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber
said: "This is not just a terrible tragedy but a crime. Whatever
the legal status of these workers, they should not have been working in
such dangerous, unsupervised conditions.
"The full force of the law must be brought against those responsible
for their deaths. This incident provides a rare glimpse into the dangerous
and exploitative conditions faced by many migrant workers on a daily basis."
A statement from the Centre for Corporate Accountability described the
tragedy as "one of Britain's worst work-related disasters in recent
years." It added: "If it is discovered that these people had
been asked to undertake this work for a company, business or individual,
a manslaughter investigation needs to be carried out into whether their
deaths were the result of gross negligence on their part."
Justin McCracken, head of operations at the Health and Safety Executive
(HSE), commented: "Although inquiries are still at an early stage,
we are already working with other agencies to support the police investigation.
The incident highlights the need to ensure sensible health and safety
arrangements are in place for all workers in Britain."
The deaths will inevitably lead to questions about HSE's role. HSE insiders
complain it is gradually relinquishing its enforcement role, in favour
a softly-softly advisory role. Critics say the HSE should be calling for
justice for the victims in cases like this, not talking about "sensible"
safety measures.
The case is the latest in a series of workplace tragedies involving
migrant workers.
• A 13 January 2004 report in The Guardian said Zhang
Guo Hua dropped dead after stamping the Samsung name on microwave ovens
for 24 hours on end. An investigation by The Guardian discovered
that the dead man was recruited by Thames Oriental Manpower Management,
and was one of a hidden army of workers from northern China.
•
A minibus carrying eight immigrant casual farm workers collided on 7 July
2003 with a high-speed commuter train on an unmanned level crossing in
the Vale of Evesham, Worcestershire. Three died and six others, including
the van driver, a 24-year-old Iraqi called Adnan Karim, were seriously
injured.
•
On 30 July 2003 an inquest said the deaths of two Polish labourers on
a Twyford fruit farm were "accidental deaths." The men were
killed when they became entangled with a rope-reeling machine capable
of spinning at up to 20mph, the inquest was told. Farm manager Jeffrey
Dever admitted one of the death men had to ask another of the Polish men
who worked on the farm to translate his instructions.
A 25 July 2003 report in The Guardian revealed how 2,000 Chinese
labourers arrived in King's Lynn in a human trafficking industry described
by the authorities as "illegal from top to bottom."
A lack of legal protection for the thousands of migrant workers who arrive
in the UK each year is giving the green light to unscrupulous gangmasters,
agencies and employers to exploit them, TUC warned last year.
The July 2003 TUC report, Overworked, underpaid, and over here,
called on the UK government to help improve the conditions of migrant
workers by signing the UN Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers
and their Families.
Commenting on the launch of the report, TUC general secretary Brendan
Barber said: "The reality is that most migrant workers only stay
for short periods, and their precarious legal status means many end up
working incredibly long hours for not much pay, in jobs that UK workers
wouldn't want to do.
"The challenge for unions is to find ways of recruiting migrant
workers, offering them support and guidance so they become less exploitable
and more aware of their rights."
TUC says official figures show that the working population born outside
the UK has increased from 7 per cent of those at work in 1995 (1.8 million
workers) to 9 per cent in 2002 (2.6 million workers). The report says
this is clearly an underestimate as it will not include the many people
who work here illegally.
 It
is likely these workplaces will remain beyond the reach of the Health
and Safety Executive. The union representing the government's health and
safety inspectors, Prospect, warned last year that a budget freeze will
mean HSE will lose 50 of its 590 front line inspectors over the year,
with the number of inspections and investigations dropping by 10,000 a
year as a result.
And the prospect of any individual or company facing serious criminal
health and safety charges related to the Morecambe deaths is as unlikely
as it has been in earlier workplace tragedies.
The government has failed to publish a promised corporate crime bill
and Health and Safety Commission says it is not in favour of a new directors'
duty law, that would make it easier to jail employers who were found to
be responsible for the death of a worker.
There are other moves afoot to address the exploitation of migrant workers,
however. The farmworkers' union TGWU joined forces with Labour MP Jim
Sheridan to tackle the abuse of workers by the unregulated "gangmasters"
who recruit and supply labour to the farming and horticulture industries.
The union is backing a Private Members' Bill tabled by the West Renfrewshire
MP and drafted with TGWU assistance which would force gangmasters operating
in agriculture to obtain licences.
According to TGWU, deregulation of gangmasters in the 1990s has resulted
in weak voluntary codes that leave gang workers at risk of injury, excessive
hours, low pay and intimidation. It also means that the government and
the authorities cannot keep track of gangmasters' activities.
"Since I moved the Private Members' Bill there has been a growing
consensus and momentum for change plus increasing support for action from
all sides of the food and farming industries in particular," said
Jim Sheridan.
TGWU general secretary Tony Woodley said voluntary measures had failed
and added: "Abuses of health and safety, exploitation through low
pay and criminal acts of intimidation are being reported on a regular
basis. We believe the time has come for legislation which will introduce
licensing and enforceable regulation."
The Bill is scheduled to have its second reading in the Commons on 27
February.
An on-going Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) project involving unions,
industry and government has concluded registration and new new laws are
the way to tackle abuses of migrant and seasonal workers in the industry.
ETI says: "The ultimate goal of the business and trade union organisations
is to achieve regulation. These organisations believe that temporary labour
providers in the UK should have a licence to operate. To get such a licence,
labour providers should be able to demonstrate that they observe a code
of practice based on UK law and international standards."
• Ethical trading:
Seasonal and migrant workers in the UK food industry
• TGWU
news release and TGWU
gangmasters campaign.
• Check
to see if your MP is signed up to Jim Sheridan MP's Gangmasters
Early Day Motion, EDM 423 - if not, ask why not. Find
your MP - you only need to know your postcode
|
 Government
fails to act on gangmasters
The UK government has resisted gangmaster legislation
for years. Barry Leathwood explains , who headed the T&G rural and
agricultural workers' section thoughout the 1990s, explains.
The T&G had run a campaign for decades which
called for the compulsory registration of all gangmasters to eliminate
the criminal abuse of what was originally UK workers but which over
the last 10 to 15 years has involved increasing numbers of foreign
workers.
We fully expected that when Labour was elected
in 1997 the government would to end the tyranny of the gangmaster
system. Immediately after the election the T&G called for an urgent
meeting with agriculture ministry (MAFF) to discuss registration.
This was held in the summer of 1997 and was fronted by Lord (Bernard)
Donoughue who was then a junior minister in MAFF.
He refused to support registration but said
there had to be a voluntary approach for a couple of years. As a
result of that meeting "Operation Gangmaster" was organised and
raids were made at various sites with the result that many workers
were penalised but few gangmasters were prosecuted.
The main reason why the government has refused
to act is because they have been anxious not to increase the burden
of regulation on business and until recently the NFU, the employers'
organisation, opposed registration. As a result thousands of workers
have been abused and scores killed and a large part of the responsibility
is because of government inaction.
Back to main story
|
|
Ethical trading: Seasonal and migrant workers
in the UK food industry
An Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) project
to address exploitation of seasonal and migrant labour in the agricultural
and horticultural sector is on-going.
ETI says: "Extreme forms of abuse have been
reported, including extreme forms of violence and coercion as well
as health and safety malpractice leading to the death of workers.
Workers have been forced to work long hours for sub-minimum wages
and live in poor conditions."
It adds: "ETI is co-ordinating a broad alliance
of business and trade union organisations to work with government
in order to tackle these abuses.
"The ultimate goal of the business and trade
union organisations is to achieve regulation. These organisations
believe that temporary labour providers in the UK should have a
licence to operate. To get such a licence, labour providers should
be able to demonstrate that they observe a code of practice based
on UK law and international standards.
"A statutory register of labour providers could
publish all those labour providers that have conformed to such a
process. This would enable those businesses that engage their services
to do so more responsibly."
An ETI progress report on the initiative concludes:
"Importantly, none of the participating organisations believe that
a code of practice or even a robust licensing and registration system
will solve all the problems associated with the employment of temporary
labour in the sector.
"We do believe such a scheme could greatly
assist companies to exercise their responsibilities - to promote
compliance with the law in co-operation with the statutory enforcement
agencies. A licensing and registration scheme is not a substitute
for the role of responsible government - to enforce the law."
ETI says is expects the first round of trials
will be completed by the end of March 2004.
ETI
pilot project
Back to main
story
|
Latest News
Britain: HSE
migrant worker webpages
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has improved its multi-lingual migrant
worker webpages to provide guidance for workers from overseas and their
employers. HSE says the pages for workers have been translated into several
languages, and are also available in English.
HSE
news release and migrant
workers webpages • Risks
354
Hazards news, 3 May 2008
Thailand: Migrants
start compensation test case
Three Shan workers are seeking to overturn a policy which is denying migrant
workers in Thailand compensation for their work-related ailments. With
support from the Human Rights and Development Foundation (HRDF), which
last year launched a migrant workers’ health and safety project,
the trio decided to bring their case to the court after the workers’
compensation authority in January denied them compensation.
ANROAV
news release • Risks
352
Hazards news, 19 April 2008
Thailand: Migrants
face death or deportation
Survivors of a human smuggling tragedy in Thailand, in which 54 migrants
including two children were found suffocated in a locked container truck
on 10 April, will be deported back to army-ruled Burma (Myanmar), a Thai
court has ruled.
Seattle
Times • ANROAV
report • Risks
352
Hazards news, 19 April 2008
Britain: Tube bosses
renege on agency staff
Talks between London Underground (LUL) and the Tube’s two biggest
unions over a raft of safety and staffing issues broke down on 5 March
when the company said it intended to continue using agency and security
staff and ‘mobile station supervisors’.
TSSA
news release • RMT
news release • Risks
346
Hazards news, 8 March 2008
Britain: Temporary
workers bill moves forward
Unions have welcomed strong parliamentary support for a backbench bill
to give temps new rights at work. Labour MPs including heavyweights John
Prescott and Peter Hain threw their support behind Andrew Miller's bill
when it went before parliament on 22 February, voting by 147 to 11 to
ensure it received a second reading.
Temporary
and Agency Workers (Equal Treatment) Bill 2007-08 • TUC
news release • Risks
345
Hazards news, 1 March 2008
Global: Temporary
workers are at greater risk
Contingent workers – the army of part-time, temporary and contract
workers populating many workplaces – face a much higher risk of
occupational injury and illness, a new report has confirmed. Researchers
from the US government’s National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health (NIOSH) say the higher risk has been found in studies both
in the US and Europe.
Kristin J Cummings and Kathleen Kreiss. Contingent workers and contingent
health: Risks of a modern economy, JAMA, volume 299, pages 448-450,
2008 [extract]
• Risks
344
Hazards news, 23 February 2008
Canada: Temps hide
the unsafe truth
Companies in Canada’s most populous province that use an army of
temporary workers are hiding a dirty secret behind their exemplary safety
records. That's because Ontario’s worker insurance programme insulates
major firms from the consequences of accidents on their premises, yet
gives big financial penalties to the temporary agency that sent the worker
to the job.
Toronto
Star • Risks
344
Hazards news, 23 February 2008
Britain: Mystery
worker reveals temp exploitation
Agency working is being used to undercut the terms of employment of permanent
workers, the union Unite has warned. The alert came after a Unite member
went 'undercover' to experience the plight of agency workers. The union
says he found an insecure world of work where no national insurance was
paid, contracts of work did not exist and no workplace training or basic
safety equipment was provided.
Unite
news release • TUC
agency workers briefing • Risks
344
Hazards news, 23 February 2008
Global:
The dangerous world of child labour
David Parker produces beautiful books with exquisite photographs. But
his elegant, intimate work documents the daily work undertaken worldwide
by over 300 million under the age of 16, from textile workers, to brick
makers, sex workers to soldiers.
Before their time: The world of child labor. David Parker. ISBN
978 1 59372 024 7. The Quantuck Lane Press. £22.99. WW
Norton and Company Ltd • Risks
343
Hazards news, 16 February 2008
Britain: ‘Serious
risk’ of new migrant tragedies
Many migrant workers are being put at “serious risk” by cost-cutting
employers who aren't providing sufficient training or suitable supervision
to new recruits, safety professionals’ organisation IOSH has said.
IOSH president Ray Hurst said “the reality is that with many migrant
workers keen to earn as much in as short a time as possible, taking on
jobs with existing safety concerns and their lack of understanding of
the UK health and safety system, they are a vulnerable group and at greater
risk.”
Risks
342
Hazards news, 9 February 2008
Britain: New push for
temp rights at work
MPs and trade unions have given their backing a new bill to ensure equal
treatment for agency workers. The Private Member’s Bill, brought
by Andrew Miller MP, was launched at the House of Commons on 6 February,
ahead of its second reading on 22 February.
TUC
news release • Act
now! TUC temporary workers action call
• Risks
342
Hazards news, 9 February 2008
Europe: Working
migrants at risk
Migrant workers in Europe are over-represented in unsafe, unhealthy and
insecure work, according to a new European Agency for Safety and Health
at Work report. “Migrant workers are often over-represented in high-risk
sectors and in the so-called 3D jobs - dirty, dangerous and demanding,”
said agency director Jukka Takala.
European
Agency news release and migrant
workers webpages • Literature study on migrant workers [pdf]
• Risks
340
Hazards news, 26 January 2008
Britain:
Union challenges M&S on migrant workers
Migrant workers at a factory supplying meat to Marks & Spencer are
suffering exploitation in a drive to maximise profits, according to a
union report. Unite says that Polish staff at a factory in south Wales
providing M&S with red meat are employed on “zero hours”
contracts with no guaranteed number of hours, and suffer “harsh
and divisive” conditions.
Unite
news release • Tell
M&S to stop the exploitation
Hazards news, 22 December 2007
Thailand: Migrant project
reveals work dangers
Making Migrant Safety at Work Matter (MMSAWM) foundation volunteers have
produced safety materials in the Shan and Burmese languages for agricultural
and construction workers, to be distributed to workers at outreach sessions
where interviews and bodymapping sessions are conducted.
Bangkok
Post and related
story • Bodymapping
resources
Hazards news, 15 December 2007
Britain: Site
unions warns of bogus self-employed dangers
Construction unions have warned the government about the dangers of bogus
self-employment. Workers miss out on holiday and sick pay, industrial
injury and disease benefits and other employment rights.
UCATT
news release
Hazards news, 1 December 2007
Britain: Migrant
workers killed in van smash
Three migrant workers were killed and another eight workers hospitalised
in a head-on crash at Croft, near Skegness, at about 7am on Tuesday 13
November. The tragedy evoked memories a Valentine's Day 2006 car crash
in which five migrant workers from Grantham, Lincolnshire, were killed.
Lincolnshire
Echo
Hazards news, 24 November 2007
Britain:
Contractor threat to shipyard safety
Contractors working at A&P Falmouth are undermining health and safety
and long standing agreements at the shipyard, the union GMB has said.
It is particularly concerned migrant workers employed by contractors at
the Cornish workplace could be vulnerable to health and safety risks.
GMB
news release
Hazards news, 24 November 2007
Britain: Migrant
worker misery is a pub grub ingredient
Food and snacks eaten in pubs, canteens and on trains across the country
could have been prepared by migrant workers working in “Dickensian
sweatshop conditions”, a union is warning clients and customers.
Unite is concerned that young Polish workers, some of whom are members
of Unite, employed by salad and vegetable preparation company Just Prepared
are forced to work all day in sodden clothing, cannot access toilets during
a shift without permission and at times work up to 16 hours a day.
Unite
news release
Hazards news, 24 November 2007
Britain: Serious
slip up at dangerous food factory
A GMB member has been awarded compensation after being injured at a London
food factory. Production worker Dinsuta Kanji received almost £13,000
compensation after being injured at Katsouris Fresh Foods, owned by the
giant Icelandic Bakkavör Group - the firm has faced serious criticism
of its safety standards after a series of recent injuries.
Pattinson
& Brewer news release
Hazards news, 17 November 2007
Britain: New TUC
website to support Polish workers
The TUC has launched a new Polish language website to support the increasing
number of Polish workers in the UK. The website - www.pracawbrytanii.org
- run by the TUC in partnership with Citizens Advice and Solidarnosc,
explains the rights workers can expect at work, including health and safety,
working time, holiday entitlement and sick pay.
TUC
news release • TUC
website for Polish workers
Hazards news, 27 October 2007
Britain: HSE warning
after Romanian loses leg
Employers must ensure all workers including migrants are informed about
safety procedures, the UK safety watchdog has said. The Health and Safety
Executive (HSE) warning came after a Romanian worker, Nicolai Danut-Puiu,
38, lost his right leg at London recycling firm, Ethos Recycling Limited.
HSE
news release • Hazards
migrant workers webpages
Hazards news, 6 October 2007
Britain:
Site unions call for gangmaster controls
The government must extend the Gangmasters Licensing Act (GLA) to the
construction industry, delegates to the TUC congress have decided. Construction
unions say since the GLA came into force in 2006 there has been a stream
of rogue gangmasters who have moved from agriculture into the construction
industry.
Unite
news release • TUC
and Hazards
migrant worker webpages
Hazards news, 15 September 2007
Britain:
Study reveals exploitation of migrant workers
Thousands of Polish and Lithuanian workers are being exploited at work
in the UK, a new report commissioned by the TUC has revealed. Since 2004
when 10 new states joined the EU, more than 475,000 Polish and Lithuanian
workers have come to work in the UK.
TUC
news release • Living and working in the UK: Your
rights [pdf]
• EU members? Migrant workers' challenges and opportunities
to trade unions: A Polish and Lithuanian case study
[pdf]
• Hazards vulnerable
workers webpages
Hazards news, 8 September 2007
Australia: ‘Enslaved’
migrants pay with their lives
Conditions in remote Australian workplaces, where two foreigners died
within three days in June, are so harsh that a leading immigration expert
says they are “akin to slavery.” An investigation has exposed
blatant breaches of the 457 skilled visa scheme and uncovered details
of the deaths of the two workers in the Northern Territory and Queensland,
and of a third man north of Perth.
The
Age news item and in-depth
report • Sydney
Morning Herald news report and ‘Dead
men working’ special video report
Hazards news, 1 September 2007
Saudi Arabia:
Migrant domestics killed by employers
The killing of two Indonesian domestic workers
by their employers in Saudi Arabia highlights the Saudi government’s
ongoing failure to hold employers accountable for serious abuses, campaign
group Human Rights Watch has said. The brutal beatings by these employers
also left two other Indonesian domestic workers critically injured.
Human
Rights Watch news release
Hazards news, 25 August 2007
Britain:
Abusive gangmaster's licence is revoked
A firm that failed to pay migrant agricultural workers for 35 days has
had its licence revoked by the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA).
The GLA said 40 Bulgarian workers had to scavenge for food in the fields
where they worked because Cornwall-based Baltic Work Team Ltd had not
paid them, placing the workers health and welfare at risk.
GLA news release [pdf]
• Unite
news release • TUC
news release
Hazards news, 18 August 2007
Britain: TUC
wants a crackdown on rogue agencies
Rogue employment agencies are ignoring safety, minimum wage and employment
laws without much fear of getting caught, the TUC has warned. It is calling
on the government to look at new ways of finally bringing rogue employment
agencies to task.
TUC
news release • BERR
employment agency standards webpages
Hazards news, 11 August 2007
Australia: Temporary
migrant jobs prove fatal
Australia’s federal government is continuing to ignore warnings
over the abuse of temporary migrant workers, despite reports that three
overseas workers have died at work in recent weeks say unions. Construction
union CFMEU and national union federation ACTU have highlighted the deaths
of three migrant workers in the last month.
ACTU
news release • Sydney
Morning Herald • ABC
News
Hazards news, 30 June 2007
Britain: Government
to act on work abuse evidence
The government wants unions, businesses and workers to pass on reports
of abuse of vulnerable workers, and has said it will act on this evidence.
The call came at the first meeting of the Vulnerable Worker Enforcement
Forum, launched on 1 June to crack down on abuses of workplace rights.
DTI
news release • Personnel
Today • Email
your evidence of poor employment practices to the Vulnerable
Worker Enforcement Forum
Hazards news, 30 June 2007
Britain:
Migrant workers need extra help staying safe
Problems with language and a poor understanding of the culture in British
workplaces means that migrant workers may need extra help from employers
and unions to stay safe at work, the TUC is warning. A TUC migrant worker
safety guide says that some rogue employers are likely to be cutting corners
and risking the health of their migrant workforce.
TUC
news release • Safety and migrant workers: A practical
guide for safety representatives [pdf]
• Hazards migrant workers webpages
Hazards news, 30 June 2007
Britain: Ministers
target employer abuse of workers
Some of London's vulnerable workers are to be targeted by a government
pilot scheme that aims to uncover abuses by employers and to offer protection.
The scheme, launched on 1 June by Jim Fitzpatrick, the employment minister,
will focus on groups such as cleaners, security guards, and caretakers
who are not getting their full employment rights.
DTI
news release
Hazards news, 9 June 2007
Britain: Tesco protest
highlights risk to migrants
GMB members employed by Bakkavör, a Tesco supplier the union says
operates unsafely, staged a demonstration outside the supermarket giant’s
London HQ. The union said the protest followed the failure of both Tesco
and Bakkavör to take action on a health and safety warning issued
by GMB in March.
GMB
news release
Hazards news, 9 June 2007
Britain:
Banana firm shows need for action
Unions say revelations that a leading supplier
of fair trade fruit has exploited Eastern European migrant workers in
the UK proves the case for improved employment protection for vulnerable
workers. Tony Woodley, joint general secretary of Unite, said: “It
is remarkable that now concerned GPs are reporting the health impact of
these exploitative working conditions on their patients.”
BBC
News Online • TUC
news release •
Hazards migrant workers’
webpages
Hazards news, 2 June 2007
Europe:
Migrants get worse jobs
A report last week from the Dublin-based Eurofound
thinktank said Europe’s migrant workers are more likely than non-migrants
to suffer unhealthy conditions at work, to work longer hours, and to perform
shift work, night work, and weekend work.
Eurofound
news release • Employment
and working conditions of migrant workers Eurofound,
May 2007 •
Hazards migrant workers’ webpages
Hazards news, 2 June 2007
Britain:
TUC enquiry into vulnerable workers
Top business and community leaders have joined
a TUC commission to investigate vulnerable working in the UK. The Commission
on Vulnerable Employment (CoVE), will investigate the extent of workplace
exploitation and consider improvements to the enforcement regime and legal
protection available for vulnerable staff.
TUC
news release • TUC
Commission on Vulnerable Employment • Hazards
migrant workers’ webpages
Hazards news, 2 June 2007
Britain:
Unite tribunal victory for agency workers
Thousands of agency workers will now be entitled
to greater employment rights following a tribunal win by the union Unite.
The case pursued by the union’s TGWU section ended in victory when
an Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) ruled in favour of a group of Polish
workers in the food processing industry, saying they should be considered
employees rather than self-employed.
Unite
news release
Britain:
Unions march for construction workers' rights
Construction unions marched on Westminster this
week to protest at the exploitation of migrant workers. Site workers from
across the country joined the 28 March rally.
Risks 300, 31 March 2007
Britain:
Union warns hummus action could spread
Changes to production methods after a salmonella
in hummus scare could place workers at additional risk in an already unsafe
firm, a union has warned. GMB officer Tahir Bhatti commented: “Bakkavör
managers are putting production for the main supermarkets ahead of their
legal duty to protect the health and safety of their workers.”
Risks 299, 24 March 2007
Britain:
Unions 'encouraged' by response on language training
A government minister’s positive reaction
to safety and other concerns raised by the TUC, unions and safety groups
about proposed changes to funding for courses in English for Speakers
of Other Languages (ESOL) has been welcomed by campaigners. However, lecturers’
union UCU said the training should be required rather than just encouraged
by the government.
Risks 298, 17 March 2007
Britain:
Time to stop agency worker abuse
Loopholes in employment law that leave agency
staff open to exploitation must be closed to stop employers using them
as a source of cheap, vulnerable labour, says a new TUC report.
Risks 296, 3 March 2007
Britain:
Workplace danger as English lessons face cut
Government plans that would restrict access to free English language classes
would lead to some migrant workers facing an increased risk of accidents
at work, lecturers’ union UCU has warned. Roger Kline, UCU head
of employment rights, has urged ministers to bear in mind the health and
safety impact of cuts to ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages)
provision for migrant workers, taking account of recent tragedies.
Risks 296, 3 March 2007
Britain:
TUC warns consultation misses temp work troubles
A government consultation on the protection
of vulnerable agency workers is too narrow and will leave temporary workers
at risk, the TUC has warned. TUC’s Brendan Barber urged the government
to support the Temporary Agency Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable
Treatment) bill which seeks to give agency workers the same rights as
full-time and directly employed staff on key issues including basic wages
and sick and holiday pay, and will have its second reading in the Commons
on 2 March.
Risks 295, 24 February 2007
Global:
Migrant workers get the 3-D jobs
Migrant workers are not taking local jobs and
driving down wages, but are being exploited in dirty, dangerous and degrading
jobs, a top union official has said. “Scare stories about immigration
are not new nor is immigration damaging to industrialised economies,”
Neil Kearney, general secretary of the Brussels-based International Textile,
Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF) told the World Economic
Forum in Davos.
Risks 292, 3 February 2007
Britain:
Migrant workers facing exploitation and danger
Migrant workers in the UK are facing exploitation
and danger at work, the TUC has warned.
Risks 287, 16 December 2006
Britain:
Czech worker injured by unsafe saw
An Oldham firm has been fined £10,500
after a Czech employee suffered serious hand injuries in a circular saw.
Factory Reconstruction Co (Manchester) Ltd was also ordered to pay £1,956
costs at Trafford Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to three criminal
HSE charges.
Risks 286, 9 December 2006
Britain:
GMB fingers food firm on union rights
The union GMB has told a food multinational
to “get real” after it defended a safety record that includes
several recent serious injuries. The London plants of Katsouris Fresh
Foods, owned by the Icelandic Bakkavör Group, has 2,500 mainly Asian
and mostly migrant workers producing ready meals for supermarkets including
Tesco, Sainsbury and Waitrose.
Risks 286, 9 December 2006
Britain:
Supermarkets face action over fruit pickers
A rolling programme of trade union pickets at
Sainsbury's and Tesco stores began this week as the supermarkets were
urged to act to ensure fair treatment of workers employed by strawberry
supplier S&A Produce. Farmworkers’ union TGWU raised concerns
about S&A's Herefordshire farms in July, after being contacted by
staff concerned about health, safety and welfare issues, accommodation
standards and problems with bullying and disciplinary procedures.
Risks 281, 4 November 2006
Britain:
HSE promises action on migrant safety
Migrant workers are facing higher workplace
accident levels because they are concentrated in more hazardous jobs without
adequate training and are working longer hours and shifts, research for
the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has found. The findings have prompted
an HSE promise to step up inspections and enforcement in sectors “where
vulnerable workers are most likely to work.”
Risks 279, 21 October 2006
Britain:
Bad gangmasters could move on warns TUC
Unscrupulous gangmasters and employment agencies
could move their focus to other sectors now that agriculture and food
processing are more tightly regulated, TUC has warned. The TUC alert came
as a 1 October change in the law took effect requiring all gangmasters
and employment agencies supplying people for work in agriculture and food
processing to have a licence.
Risks 277, 7 October 2006
Britain:
Union scepticism on migrant worker project
A government-sponsored pilot project to curb
the exploitation of migrants and other vulnerable workers in the construction
industry has been dismissed as “rubbish” by a union. The scheme
is scheduled to launch early next year in London docklands and will run
for two years.
Risks 276, 30 September 2006
Australia:
Injured, fired and told he’ll be deported
A Chinese worker who sold his family home to
get to Australia has been left destitute and injured in suburban Melbourne.
Fu Zhihong, 49, became the latest victim of the federal government’s
cheap labour visas, when he was fired by employer Lakeside Packaging after
breaking both wrists and informed in the same note he would be deported.
Risks 275, 23 September 2006
Britain:
One in five a “vulnerable” worker
More than five million workers in the UK –
one in every five employees - are being ripped off by rogue bosses, according
to a new report. Some employers break laws by paying cash in hand below
the minimum wage or forcing staff to work unpaid overtime, said
TUC leader Brendan Barber.
Risks 274, 16 September 2006
Australia:
Union fears on migrant exploitation
Unions in Australia have warned that a new temporary
visa system is resulting in the exploitation of migrant workers in hazardous
conditions. The alert comes after unions revealed dozens of Chinese workers
were being employed on a construction site in Sydney without adequate
safety protection or the required workers’ compensation coverage.
Risks 273, 9 September 2006 • Hazards
migrants webpages
Britain:
Strawberry firm ‘exploiting migrant workers’
Farming union TGWU has warned that a major
UK strawberry grower is exploiting migrant workers. The union says it
has “no option” but to submit hundreds of grievances on behalf
of workers at the Herefordshire farm of S&A Produce, whose customers
include Sainsbury’s and Tesco.
Risks 273, 9 September 2006
Bahrain:
India's plea on migrant labour camps rejected
Bahrain has rejected India's request for joint
inspection of labour camps in the kingdom. India’s plea came after
a fire killed 16 Indian construction labourers in one of the camps.
Risks 269, 12 August 2006
China:
New network for injured migrant workers
A new support group for migrant workers in China
has been formed. China's record of health and safety has been criticised
in the past and migrant workers are thought to be particularly vulnerable
especially given the lack of support available.
Risks 266, 22 July 2006
UAE:
Report reveals massive abuses of migrant workers
A new report on labour standards in the United
Arab Emirates (UAE) has identified “massive abuses” of the
migrant workers who constitute about 95 per cent of the private sector
workforce.
Risks 254, 29 April 2006
Britain:
Union welcome for gangmaster watchdog
Farmworkers' union TGWU has welcomed the launch of the Gangmasters Licensing
Authority. The union says the creation of the authority is a landmark
on the road to justice and fair treatment for casual workers in the UK
food industry.
Risks 252, 15 April 2006
USA:
Immigration safety stings to stop
US federal officials have told immigrant advocates that government immigration
agents will discontinue the use of undercover sting operations involving
bogus health and safety programmes to round up illegal immigrants.
Risks 251, 8 April 2006
Britain:
Cocklers criticised after rescue
Two boats overloaded with cocklers and cockles got in to difficulties
and had to be assisted by lifeboats the day after a gangmaster was jailed
over the deaths of 21 cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay. Furious coastguard
officials said those concerned had “learned nothing” from
recent incidents.
Risks 251, 8 April 2006
Britain:
Tragic lessons must be learned, say unions
The lessons of the Morecambe Bay cocklepickers
tragedy must not be forgotten, unions have warned. They are calling for
rigorous enforcement of the new gangmaster regulations and warn that extending
safety laws must also be effectively enforced to protect all vulnerable
workers.
Risks 250, 1 April 2006
Britain:
Cockler gangmaster gets 14 years
A gangmaster who left 21 cockle pickers to drown
in rising tides at Morecambe Bay has been jailed for 14 years. Chinese-born
Lin Liang Ren, 29, from Liverpool, was convicted at Preston Crown Court
of manslaughter.
Risks 250, 1 April 2006
China:
New payouts policy covers migrant workers
China is to extend to migrant workers the right to benefits including
compensation for industrial diseases, the government has said. A report
from the official news agency Xinhua said reform of the social security
system will expand coverage to about 200 million of the farmers-turned-industrial
workers.
Risks 249, 25 March 2006
Britain:
Licences for gangmasters unveiled
A new system aimed at weeding out rogue gangmasters
has been welcomed by plough-to-plate union TGWU. Measures to protect workers
include forcing anyone who supplies workers to the packing, food processing
or farming industries to have a licence from April this year, with anyone
found to be operating without a valid licence will be fined up to £5,000
or imprisoned for up to 10 years.
Risks 248, 18 March 2006
Britain:
More migrant workers killed in minibus crash
Six people - including five who were believed to be migrant workers -
died this week in a head on crash in Lincolnshire. It is the latest in
series incidents in which migrant workers have been killed or injured
while being ferried to and from work.
Risks 244, 18 February 2006
Britain:
PM urged to act on gangmaster abuse
Top food industry, union and human rights organisations have joined forces
to press Tony Blair to introduce immediately a comprehensive law to prevent
the abuse of an estimated 600,000 temporary workers.
Risks 243, 11 February 2006
USA:
Daily dangers face day labourers
The job for life has been replaced with a job-for-a-day for many in the
US, and these workers are facing exploitation and deadly conditions as
a result. The country’s first nationwide study on day labourers
has found they are a nationwide phenomenon, with 117,600 people gathering
at more than 500 hiring sites to look for work on a typical day.
Risks 241, 28 January 2006
Poland/Britain:
Polish PM urged to tackle bad employers
TGWU has urged the Polish prime minister to raise with Tony Blair the
miserable treatment experienced by thousands of Polish workers in the
UK.
Risks 235, 3 December 2005
Britain:
Gangmaster inspections watered down
The GMB has expressed fears that government plans to water down the licensing
proposals for gangmaster registration could lead to another Morecombe
Bay tragedy instead of preventing it.
Risks 230, 29 October 2005
Britain:
Gangmaster backtracking throws a lifeline to criminals
Unions TGWU and GMB have warned that government pressure for the Gangmasters
Licensing Authority (GLA) to limit pre-licensing inspections to those
gangmasters deemed sufficiently “risky” means rogues will
avoid detection and will be granted a licence to operate.
Risks 225, 24 September 2005
USA:
Union warning on immigrant workers at risk
Immigrant workers are dying at work at a far greater rate than native-born
workers in the US, a new study has found. Research by national union federation
AFL-CIO found workplace fatalities among all foreign-born workers increased
by 46 per cent between 1992 and 2002 and Latino workers fared even worse,
with a 58 per cent jump in on-the-job deaths in the same time period.
Risks 223, 10 September 2005
USA:
Immigrants entrapped with promise of safety training
Federal immigration officials have used a bogus offer of mandatory safety
training to entrap undocumented construction workers in North Carolina,
who now face deportation. The fake training ruse has angered safety authorities
in the state, who say it has eroded trust with groups of workers at particularly
high risk at work.
Risks 215, 16 July 2005
Britain:
Migrant workers health and safety research
An in-depth study of migrant workers is being carried out in five regions
of England and Wales - London, East of England, South Wales, the South
West and the North East – and the researchers are seeking your help.
Risks 214, 9 July 2005
Britain:
Gangmaster draft offers “sanctuary for slave labourers”
Unions have warned that gaps in the proposed new licensing system for
gangmasters and agencies will leave thousands of temporary, mainly migrant,
workers vulnerable to exploitation.
Risks 212, 25 June 2005
Britain:
Welcome for new gangmaster watchdog
The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) has welcomed the 1 April 2005 launch
of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority.
Risks 201, 9 April 2005
Britain:
Companies fined £95,000 following crypt death
The death of a 22-year-old Romanian construction worker on a central London
construction site has resulted in fines for the companies responsible
for his death. Three defendants received penalties totalling £95,000,
plus costs of £60,000, at Southwark Crown Court, London.
Risks 194, 12 February 2005
Britain:
Migrants face forced labour in the UK
Migrant workers in the UK, including those with the right to work here,
are subject to such levels of exploitation and control that they meet
the international legal definition of "forced labour," according
to an independent report published by the TUC. 'Forced labour and migration
to the UK' reveals abuse, including very long hours, pay below the minimum
wage and dangerous working conditions.
Risks 194, 12 February 2005
South
Korea: Migrants face dirty, difficult and dangerous jobs
Foreign workers in South Korea are being employed in the most dangerous
jobs and are facing an increasing risk of ill-health and injury as a result.
Concern was heightened as the labour ministry launched a probe into reports
that eight female Thai workers had been severely affected by exposure
to toxic chemicals at a sweatshop, with some hospitalised.
Risks 191, 22 January 2005
Britain:
TGWU welcome for gangmaster watchdog
TGWU has welcomed details of a new watchdog aimed at curbing the exploitation
of agricultural workers and labourers and that was created after a high
profile campaign by the farm work union.
Risks 191, 22 January 2005
Britain:
Extend gangmaster protection, say MPs
Safeguards to prevent migrant workers from being exploited should be extended
to the construction industry, Labour MPs have said.
Risks 190, 15 January 2005
Britain:
Language barriers mean new dangers at work
Concern that migrant workers could be missing out on crucial health and
safety training because their employers are not providing safety material
in any language other than English has prompted the Health and Safety
Executive (HSE) and the TUC to publish a new safety guide translated into
19 different languages.
Risks 186, 11 December 2004
Britain:
New code to tackle widespread temp labour abuse
Research into gangmasters providing migrant workers to leading UK supermarket
suppliers has found that every one of the companies inspected was breaking
the law. The findings came ahead of this week's publication of a new Code
of Practice designed to help ensure labour providers obey the law and
respect the rights of the workers they hire.
Risks 183, 20 November 2004
Britain
New agency will license gangmasters
Proposals for a new body to help stop exploitation of agricultural workers
have been published by the government. The government say a Gangmasters
Licensing Authority will operate a licensing scheme, set licensing conditions
and maintain a register of licensed gangmasters.
Risks
168, 7 August 2004
Britain
Chinese cocklers injured in crash
Seventeen people - including 15 Chinese cockle pickers - have been taken
to hospital after a minibus was involved in an early morning crash with
a lorry on 7 July. Two are seriously hurt.
Risks
164, 11 July 2004
Britain
Gangmaster law a "victory for union action"
A new law requiring the licensing and registration of all gangmasters
will turn the screw on the unscrupulous gangmasters who exploit workers
with sometimes deadly results.
Risks
164, 11 July 2004
Britain
Government failing on gangmasters
The government has failed to respond "sufficiently urgently"
to illegal activities by gangmasters, a parliamentary committee has concluded.
Risks
157, 22 May 2004
Britain
Unions can protect migrant workers
The first step to avoiding exploitation for migrant workers is the trade
union movement, a top union official has said.
Risks
157, 22 May 2004
Britain
Migrants get TUC advice on rights at work
To help migrant workers from the expanded European Union understand their
rights at work under UK employment law, the TUC has produced a simple
advice leaflet that the Home Office has agreed to send out with every
new migrant's registration certificate.
Risks
155, 8 May 2004
Britain
Fear drives Chinese back to cockle beds
The government claims it is clamping down on illegal and deadly gangmasters,
but the main losers seem to be the exploited migrants themselves.
Risks
155, 8 May 2004
|
