Earlier this month, it was reported that a group of Nepalese workers who had been forced to pay thousands of pounds in illegal recruitment fees for jobs abroad, arrived in the country only to find broken promises, not enough work and ended up back home with mounting debts. Not only had they worked for months, it had ended up costing them money for the privilege.
Now, can you guess which country it is that has exploited migrant workers so badly in this way? Qatar is probably the country that leaps to the front of your mind, given the amount that has, understandably, been written about the horrific abuses suffered by migrant workers helping to build the infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup.
I interviewed a 27-year-old Nepali construction worker last week, who recounted his experiences during 33 months working to install the air conditioning system at the Lusail Stadium, the 80,000-capacity venue which provided the stage of Saudi Arabia to stun Argentina in one of the great World Cup upsets and will host the final. A venue which will host one of the most lucrative single sporting events in the world, built by workers paid barely anything.
Anish Adsikari and his co-workers were told they would receive a £200 monthly salary. It was cut by a third on arrival. Adsikari and his co-workers charged an illegal recruitment fee then told it would be refunded. It wasn’t refunded. Adsikari tried to pay off the loan taken out by his family in Nepal but his wages were too low and when he returned home he was owed thousands.
More from Football
All of that would fit with the the reports mentioned at the top of this article. Only, that account is what happened to Nepali workers when they arrived in England in September to pick fruit on farms. It’s claimed they were promised six months work, but were sent home after less than two. If they had not paid illegal recruitment fees, costing thousands, it still cost them around £1,500 for a plane ticket and visa.
“They told us six months will be good money for us, but we get less money than we did in Nepal. If we go back, we don’t have any work,” one worker told The Guardian.
Don’t worry, I’m not going to go full Infantino and start ranting about the hypocrisy of the West for daring to highlight the poor treatment of LGBT+ people and migrant workers in World Cup hosts Qatar. But it’s worth reflecting that the UK has plenty of problems of its own. And these workers were picking fruit from farms to provide produce for the biggest supermarkets in the country. So you – and I – may well have eaten an apple picked by one of them.
These workers were recruited on the Government’s own Seasonal Worker scheme, which in 2019 could accommodate 2,500 workers but has skyrocketed to 40,000 in 2022, with the country in desperate need of low-paid workers. So who knows how many times migrant workers have been exploited and abused in this way in the UK.
The University of Nottingham’s Rights Lab, which investigates modern slavery, found that around 30 per cent of migrant workers on UK fishing vessels regularly work 20-hour shifts. Can you imagine that?
And there’s more: 35 per cent said that they were regularly subjected to physical violence. Beatings of migrant workers, who came from the Philippines, Indonesia, Ghana, Sri Lanka and India, were surprisingly common on ships, and included sexually violent acts and racist abuse — a staggering three-quarters said they faced discrimination. Much like the migrant workers in Qatar, the workers on ships reported very few breaks and were paid £3.51 an hour — far below the £9.50 minimum wage. Around 30 per cent said they could not leave due to debts.
It’s that same pattern of exploitation repeating itself: entice the worker with false promises then laden them with debt so that they fear leaving the horrendous working conditions worse off than when they started. It’s a form of psychological torment.
“There is no way to contact anyone,” one worker said. “The captain keeps my phone, and supervises my calls.”
They added that “leaving is not possible because I’m not allowed off the vessel to ask for help”. It sounds terrifying.
“Exploitative practices are widespread and endemic,” Dr Jessica Sparks, associate director of the Rights Lab, said.
So let’s not forget that it’s not only the Qatari’s who are happy to exploit migrant workers from some of the world’s poorest countries to keep costs down. It’s happening much closer to home, too.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/vpgJru6
Post a Comment