Employers who exploit migrants avoid penalties

Employers who exploit migrant workers are unlikely to face the rigours of the law but even if they do the worker will struggle to get the money owed to them, according to a report.

The report, Severe forms of Labour Exploitation, and supporting such victims in having access to justice in EU member states, was compiled as part of a larger, Europe-wide report published in the summer by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights.

Written by Robert Mooney of the Applied Research Centre at UCD, it claims there is still a “lack of awareness of the severity and conditions of labour exploitation” in Ireland. It outlined several key themes which, it said, had been emphasised by those interviewed for the report, including the need for greater awareness of labour exploitation among the general public.