Migrant workers - Government must tackle exploitation

THE plight of a Filipina beautician, who was paid slave wages on an Irish Ferries ship, has turned the spotlight sharply on the need for a radical overhaul of Ireland’s policy of issuing work permits to employers rather than directly to foreign workers.

By giving companies exclusive control over such permits, the Government is blatantly militating against the interests of migrant employees and exposing them to naked exploitation and violation of labour regulations.

So notorious is the Irish system that the United Nations has called on the Government to remedy the situation as a matter of urgency.

By any yardstick, the exploitation of migrant workers in this country is an absolute disgrace. It makes a mockery of Ireland’s reputation as a Christian nation.

Having succeeded in turning the country into the rip-off capital of Europe by jacking up the price of everything in sight, ruthless elements of the business community are now ripping off vulnerable foreign workers who have come here in pursuit of a better life.

Ample proof of this, if it were needed, can be seen in the miserly payment of just over 1 an hour and the appalling working conditions which were imposed on Salvacion Orge, a hairdresser on the Isle of Inishmore ferry. But for the timely intervention of SIPTU, the biggest union in the country, the outrageous pay scam would have been swept under the carpet.

No doubt she would have suffered the same fate as two other Filipina women in similar jobs on a sister ship who were promptly repatriated when their exploitation by a contractor was found out.

For Irish Ferries to try and evade responsibility by claiming the contract was between the women and a contracting company amounts to a blatant cop out.

The shipping company had a duty of care and certain responsibilities towards the workers on its ships.

Similar allegations of slavery have been levelled against farmers in Co Kilkenny where migrant workers were reportedly paid 1 an hour for picking stones. Fed on a diet of bread and brown sauce they were forced to sleep in a shed.

Nor is exploitation confined to Irish companies. In another controversial case involving the Turkish company Gama, migrant workers were paid wages well below the rates earned by Irish workers.

Were it not for the tireless efforts of Socialist TD Joe Higgins in exposing the gross underpayment of the workers concerned, their plight might well have gone unnoticed.

Despite this case, however, the multinational construction firm has been short-listed to build two major roads projects for the National Roads Authority in Monaghan and Wexford.

Other headline cases of exploitation have involved Philippina nurses and East European workers employed in the Irish meat industry.

No wonder the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has called on Ireland to issue employees with work permits.

At least that would give them some measure of protection. As things stand, many live with the constant threat of being sent home if they open their mouths to complain about their pay or conditions.

Regrettably, the Coalition has given rogue employers the whip hand despite the ongoing controversy over rampant exploitation.

There should be no further delay by Government in redressing the wrongs which are daily perpetrated under their very noses.

In particular, there is an onus on Justice Minister Michael McDowell to take decisive action by issuing work permits directly to employees.

At a stroke that would help to shield foreign workers from exploitation by unscrupulous employers.