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A survey of the experience of migrant workers in Asia and the Middle East has found that they are subject to widespread financial and other pressures which lead to violations of labour standards and indebtedness. The report, which was produced by Verité, also throws light on the way in which trafficking in persons works in relation to migrant workers.
The study was based on interviews with 600 migrant workers from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam after they had returned to their country of origin. Amongst other findings, the report suggests that illegal fees can take as much as one-third of the wages workers expect to receive over the course of the contract. Unexpected in-country charges like 'runaway insurance' further constrain workers' ability to escape poverty. These financial pressures, combined with strict legal limits on workers' freedom of movement - including the lack of freedom to change jobs - and restrictions on their ability to organise, mean that workers often have no choice but to work excessive hours under degrading and often dangerous conditions. The report concludes by making a range of recommendations for governments, international agencies, NGOs and multinational companies with migrant workers in their supply chains.
Click here to download the report (PDF format) |
