[ Posted on 9:28am Apr 26 2007 by NeroAnima ]
Migrant workers are being lured to Britain by deception and are forming a new exploited underclass, a BBC investigation has discovered.
Undercover Lithuanian journalist Audrius Lelkaitis discovered a new form of people trafficking, systematic underpayment and exploitation.
Human trafficking experts said the conditions suffered by some migrant workers was "modern-day slavery".
All companies targeted by the investigation deny exploiting workers.
Mr Lelkaitis, working as part of the BBC News investigation, posed as a migrant worker seeking a job in the UK.
He paid hundreds of pounds to agencies in Lithuania and London in return for the promise of a job in Hull which did not exist.
After being offered work with licensed gangmasters Focus Staff Limited in Hull he was paid below the minimum wage two weeks in arrears.
After three weeks, he received £97 for 20 hours' work in his first week, although £50 was deducted for accommodation costs.
He also had money deducted for accommodation without it being shown on his payslip, which is illegal, and was forced to live in overcrowded accommodation.
Mike Wilson, chief executive of the Gangmasters' Licensing Authority said the withholding of wages when workers were already in debt sounded "suspiciously like a bonded labour situation which certainly we would not agree to at all".
Mike Dickenson, director of Focus Staff Limited, denied any illegal practices.
"I don't underpay my workers," he said. "Everything I do is legal and above board," he said.
Bonded labour'
Deputy Chief Constable Grahame Maxwell, programme director of the UK Human Trafficking Centre, said the opening of Europe's borders had brought with it a new kind of people trafficking.
He said: "This quite clearly is labour exploitation. Certain elements are there; there's a deception and there's a movement of people with an expectation of being paid a reasonable and appropriate wage.
"This is a kind of forced or bonded labour. This is modern day slavery."
Aidan McQuade, director of campaign group Anti-Slavery International, said trafficking to exploit labour involved a number of factors.
These included the use of deception, intimidation, the removal of documents, excessive charges for accommodation and transport, the exploitation of someone's irregular immigration status or the fact they are in debt, in order to force them to work in conditions they do not agree to, he said.
He added: "Some of these mechanisms are reported in this BBC News investigation."
SOURCE: BBC --- "Migrants 'deceived and expl...ed'" has been viewed  times ---
[ print view ] [ email this page to a friend ]
| untitled | [quote] | | » posted by: UndyingFantasy · date: 8:15am Apr 28 2007 | rated: N/A | | |
| |
I don't underpay my workers," he said. "Everything I do is legal and above board,"
are you kidding me? he worked 20 hours and made £97 (which is a little less than $200), but then had a little over half deducted? i mean, in theory, they were getting paid pretty well by the hour (it seems to average out more than what average wage here is in florida). but to have half of it deducted, and they're left with so little just seems a bit twisted.
i dunno. indeed sad. but like lev said, it's human, and everyone is out just to get their own.~~~~~~~~~~
i want. i love. i need. i breath. i lust. i trust. i cheat. i bleed.
| |
| |
| | |
| untitled | [quote] | | » posted by: Lev · date: 6:02am Apr 27 2007 | rated: N/A | | |
| |
This is really sad, but doesn't surprise me in the least. These are humans in a nutshell - always trying to find someway to take advantage of those around them for self benefit. It's repulsive that we seem to live in a society revolving around money, profit and stomping on how many ever skulls it takes to get to the top and have everything you want. People are so selfish by instinct - it's in our nature to survive and thrive. And most of you wonder why I hate everyone.~~~~~~~~~~
The problem with the world is that the fanatics are so arrogantly sure of themselves, while the open-minded individual remains filled with doubts.
levlive.com
| |
| |
| | |
| 
news / articles
» 
