Migrant women unsure of job rights, report finds

ANITA was sacked after she complained about being paid 50 cent an hour in her job. The Latvian woman worked in the horticultural sector picking mushrooms.

Sasha, from South Africa, earned €130 a week in a meat packing factory, often working 14 hours a day.

She got a pay rise after getting a new contract, but her conditions deteriorated when the employer changed.

“When I questioned and kicked up a fuss, I was told that they had to let me go,” she said.

The experiences of Anita and Sasha are not uncommon among migrant women who come to work in Ireland, according to a new report by the Equality Authority.

The study conducted interviews with 36 migrant women found that those who worked, or who had worked, in the contract cleaning, hotel and hospitality and horticultural sectors had the most frequent complaints about their working conditions.

A Russian woman, Olga, worked in Co Galway for seven months as a waitress in a pub and a take-away restaurant.

Her employer did not give her a work permit and she felt he wanted to keep her “as a slave with no rights”.

She eventually went to the gardaí, who referred her to the immigration registration office.

The report, An Introduction to the Situation and Experience of Women Migrant Workers in Ireland, will be launched today at the beginning of Anti- Racist Workplace Week.

The research, conducted by Dr Jane Pillinger, found that many migrant women workers were not aware of their rights or entitlements.

“Three quarters of those interviewed identified information as key in helping to improve the situation,” said the report.

It said the withholding of information by employers prevented migrant women, particularly those in low skilled jobs who did not have English, from claiming their rights such as minimum wages, holiday entitlements and working hours.

Stella, from Nigeria, who works as a hairdresser, said most migrant women had no idea about their rights.

“They end up working from nine in the morning until nine at night with low pay. No one is prepared to complain, most women are frightened to complain in case they lose their job.”

Anita, from Latvia, said trade unions needed to be involved and called for more inspection of workplaces.

“On the surface, everything looks fine, it’s only when you look under the surface that the exploitation and bad treatment of women is found,” she said.

The report said 30 of the 36 women were educated to second level and 20 to third level.

“Women were working in contract cleaning with university degrees, women were carrying out service jobs who are qualified teachers,” the report says.