Free Essay

The Employment Experience of Migrant Workers

In:

Submitted By nazma
Words 918
Pages 4
Pre-reading: summarise four key points about this topic from two tutorial readings (two points from each) (4 marks):
|Reading |Point, argument or conclusion made (provide specific page number where possible) |
|Shelley, T. (2007): Exploited:|Within Shelley’s (2007) study he discussed government responses and their responsibilities regarding migrant workers. |
|Migrant Labour in the New |Evidence of their response can be seen in 2007, when Bulgaria and Romania achieved accession in to the EU. The British |
|Global Economy, London: Zed |government were faced with a choice of whether or not to grant them the same rights within the labour markets as other EU |
|Books. |nations. At the time there were “implicit characterisations of Bulgarians and Romanians as having criminal tendencies” |
| |(Shelley, 2007, pp. 139-140); this resulted in Britain opting to restrict their rights. In Latin America the workers |
| |association uncovered another example of similar discrimination, this saw migrant workers being labelled as drug smugglers.|
| |Not only have the government in Britain stereotyped migrant workers in the EU but they have also created “a ‘points-based’ |
| |system of access to the British labour market for non-EU citizens” (Shelley, 2007, p. 140). It has been argued that this is|
| |a method, which aims to simplify entry procedures, however “the Command document putting the proposals before parliament |
| |does not disguise the racial grounding of the enterprise” (Shelley, 2007, p. 140). The ‘points-based’ system is in place to|
| |benefit the Britain, as migrants will receive points for how valuable they are, lower skilled migrant workers are seen as |
| |less valuable. |
| |In order to understand why people would migrate the push and pull factors have been discussed. Jonathan Moses discussed in |
| |his study that “push factors must be powerful to drive people from their home” (Shelley, 2007, p.18). The international |
| |Organisation for Migration calculated that 3 per cent of the world’s population live outside of their own countries |
| |(Shelley, 2007), this leads to the question of ‘why?’. One way this can be answered is by looking at a paper written by the|
| |UN’s International Labour Organisation, which “directly linked the rising secular trend in global migration for work to |
| |changes in the world economy” (Shelley, 2007, p.19). Due to the economic downturn public-sector jobs, jobs in traditional |
| |industries and agriculture competiveness are in decline; therefore individuals are required to look elsewhere for work. For|
| |example the earning potential in the UK compared to China is vast, a Chinese worker “migrating to work in Europe using one |
| |of the officially sanctioned employment agencies springing up in China might expect to earn £1,000 a month. That compares |
| |well with £100-£300 a month in a factory in inland China” (Shelley, 2007, p. 20). This can also be seen in a variety of |
| |industries as “migrant prostitutes working in Oslo or London may well intend to amass enough saving to achieve a particular|
| |end – provide education for a child at home or pay off a family debt” (Shelley, 2007, pp. 20-21). If working within their |
| |own countries, they may not be able to afford the same; therefore in this instance the best option may have been to |
| |migrate. |
|Fitzgerald, I. and Hardy, J. |In recent years, trade union (TU) “recruitment and organization activity has centred on inclusion and has been undertaken |
|(2010): “‘Thinking Outside the|on new terrains using innovative strategies” (Fitzgerald and Hardy, 2010, pp. 131). In order to entice migrant workers to |
|Box’? Trade Union Organising |join TUs, in 2005, TUC regions were encouraged to think of initiatives for the “TUC Development Fund, to undertake projects|
|Strategies and Polish Migrant |with affiliates with regard to migrant workers” (Fitzgerald and Hardy, 2010, pp. 137). More recently migrant workers have |
|Workers in the United |been located under the vulnerable workers umbrella in order to remove emphasis from their citizenship status. A TUC Officer|
|Kingdom’, British Journal of |supported this by stating: “I think it is important to identify that we support vulnerable workers everywhere…it sends out |
|Industrial Relations, 48(1): |a message that we are interested in all workers, not just those from abroad” (Fitzgerald and Hardy, 2010, pp. 138). |
|131-150. |Fitzgerald and Hardy (2010) also discussed in their study, the relationships TUs formed in order to organise migrant |
| |workers on the different spatial levels, such as locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. On a national level, |
| |through campaigning and lobbying the TUC were successful in improving employment law and its enforcement. The TUC “have |
| |worked with the Citizens Advice Bureaux, with regard to Polish migrant workers, in the development of a joint |
| |TUC/Solidarnosc webpage” (Fitzgerald and Hardy, 2010, pp. 143). Also, Regional TUCs and regional development agencies (RDA)|
| |can be seen working together, with strategy seeking as the motivation. Although it has been argued, that it “raises |
| |questions as to who controls the agenda” (Fitzgerald and Hardy, 2010, pp. 146). Locally, in order to support European |
| |migrants, TUs “have forged new linkages with local councils, NGOs and members of the established Polish community and |
| |churches to provide support and information for the newly arrived” (Fitzgerald and Hardy, 2010). Lastly, UK TUs have also |
| |begun developing relationships with TUs internationally, specifically regarding migrant workers. This cross-border |
| |co-operation can aid in achieving a better understanding of those migrating. However, it can be argued that migrant workers|
| |may be torn between which TU to join if both are involved. |

Tutor Assessment of Student’s Oral contribution to the Class discussion (1 mark)
| |
| |
| |

Total marks (out of 5):

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Mgmt

...Introduction The article “Are vulnerable workers really protected in New Zealand?” is written by two authors namely, Danae Anderson, researcher at Work research Institute, Auckland University of Technology, NZ and Rupert Tipples, Associate Professor of Employment Relations in Faculty of Commerce at Lincoln University, Christchurch, New Zealand and is published in New Zealand Journal of Employment Relations, 39 (1): 52-67. This article is concentrated on exploring the working condition of international migrant workers and pacific workers in primary sectors and are categorised as vulnerable migrants using Sargeant and Tucker’s 2009 framework. The writers have claimed that though protective measures have been adopted to defend the vulnerability of the workers, the result is still speech making only. The article has clearly identified the research topic and used secondary sources of the information to address the research questions. The article has been successful in raising the concerns of vulnerable workers in primary sectors such as exploitation at work, underpayment, employment dependency, visa conditions, lacking of formal written contracts for employment likewise, the article has been able to pull the attention of the concerned authorities to work and rethink to promulgate the protective legal mechanisms to protect vulnerable workers. The article has also discussed the contributing factors of vulnerability such as limited work experience of workers, lack of English language efficiency...

Words: 2001 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Human Resource Management

...1 Assignment 3 Employment Laws and HRM Strategy Shonnette P. Ferebee Dr. David Fountaine February 17, 2013 Describe the scenario that you have selected and its corresponding employment laws. The employment laws for seasonal employees that are from other countries are very different. First of all, in order for the organization to have productive and ------------------------------------------------- satisfying work from the seasonal employees, there need to be a work design in affect along with a job analysis. The work design is the process of assigning and coordinating work tasks among employees. The employment laws for seasonal employees that are from different countries are in the North Carolina General Statues 95-222.229. The migrant Housing Act of NC (S.B. 631; North Carolina General Statutes 95-222:229 were made into law in the U.S. state of North Carolina in 1989. It oversees migrant workers housing through regulations of housing inspections, standards to be met, and recognition of housing that meets all standards and requirements after the pre-occupancy inspection is done by the North Carolina Department of Labor and the local county health department. Its goals are to ensure safe and healthy seasonal housing conditions. Migrant workers can be described as people who come from their home country to the United States legally with limited advantages, to work in a selection of trades such as furniture, agriculture, and construction. In June 2003, I was working...

Words: 1916 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Tessa Wright and Anna Pollert

...Paper The experience of ethnic minority workers in the hotel and catering industry: Routes to support and advice on workplace problems Ref: 03/06 2006 Prepared by: Tessa Wright and Anna Pollert (Working Lives Research Institute, London Metropolitan University) Funded by Acas and the European Social Fund For any further information on this study, or other aspects of the Acas Research and Evaluation programme, please telephone 020 7210 3673 or email research@acas.org.uk Acas research publications can be found at http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=405 ISBN 0-9554830-0-X ISBN 978-0-9554830-0-4 The Experience of Ethnic Minority Workers in the Hotel and Catering Industry: Routes to Support and Advice on Workplace Problems Ref: 03/06 2006 Prepared by: Tessa Wright and Anna Pollert (Working Lives Research Institute, London Metropolitan University) Funded by Acas and the European Social Fund Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the European Social Fund and Acas for providing financial support to the project, and Acas staff also for their guidance during the project, in particular Margaret Fox, Anthony Gould and Gill Dix. The project benefited greatly from the contributions of the Project Advisory Group, both in suggestions made on methodology, access and content at meetings, and help in accessing research participants. Many individuals and organisations helped us in gaining access to workers to interview...

Words: 28672 - Pages: 115

Premium Essay

Political

...Impact of the Global Economic Crisis on China’s Migrant Workers: A Survey of 2,700 in 2009 Mark Wang1 Abstract: An Australian geographer examines the effects of the global financial crisis on China’s migrant workers, based on a recent survey of over 2,700 such workers conducted during January–February 2009. The author focuses on the number of migrant workers returning to their home villages for the annual New Year holiday period, the types of workers that were laid off, options available to such workers upon losing employment, and the reasons underlying their subsequent moves. Implications of the findings for labor policy in China are briefly outlined and several directions for future research identified. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: E240, G010, J610, J690. 7 tables, 68 references. Key words: China, global financial crisis, migrant workers, unemployment, globalization, rural development, push factors, manufacturing exports, hukou, migration networks, remittances, Chinese New Year, return migration. INTRODUCTION M igration is closely tied with processes of globalization and the global economy, and China’s rural-to-urban migrant workers have contributed substantially to the country’s economic growth and success. This group of hard-working laborers has made inexpensive “made-in-China” products available in almost every corner of the world. Varying sources estimate that migrant workers2 have contributed 16–24 percent of China’s GDP growth and...

Words: 10253 - Pages: 42

Free Essay

Ir Nesb Employees

...do the workplace experiences of employees from non – English speaking backgrounds differ from other workers? How can, and should, should actor respond to this? How are these differences manifested, and responded to, in your own workplace? The workplace experiences of employees from Non–English Speaking Backgrounds (NESB) differ from other workers for a number of reasons. Employment opportunity is a primary reason why individuals emigrate to other countries (de Castro et al. 2006). While employment in a host country has benefits, immigrants often face considerable challenges as they learn and adjust to the norms and values of the host culture. In particular, immigrant workers may face the ‘‘double jeopardy’’ of dealing with stressors related to both working in a new country as well as to living in a new society (de Castro, Gilbert & Takeuchi 2008). Like other European countries, Australia is also a very attractive destination for migrant workers. Migrants have been part of Australian society and the Australian workforce since colonisation began in 1788. However the migrant population at the time was of a predominantly European background. It was from the mid-nineteen century when Chinese, Pacific Islander, Lebanese, Afghan, Indian and European migrants arrived and settled in Australia. Due to the gradual liberalisation of Australian immigration policies, the ethnic composition of Australian migrants has shifted significantly, bringing in migrants from Southern Europe...

Words: 3895 - Pages: 16

Free Essay

Impacts of Migration: Focus on the Philippines

...OUTLINE: Topic - Impact of Migration: Focus on Philippines I. Introduction Ia. Defining Migration a.1 Kinds of Migration a.2 Who are Migrants a.3 Factors of Migration a.4 Reasons for Migration II. Review of Related Literature III. History of Migration and its Policies III.a. Migration Policies - Critique III.b. Statistics        b.1.Number of Migrants b.2.Main destinations b.3.Occupations b.4.Sex b.5.Remittances III.c. Case Study c.1. Flor Contemplacion c.2. Angelo Dela Cruz c.3. Rodelio “Dondon” Lanuza IV. Impact of Saudization to Filipino OFWs V. Impact of Migration    V.a. Impact of Migration to the Sending State a.1 Positive effects a.2 Negative effects   V.b. Impact of Migration to the Receiving State       b.1. Positive effects b.2. Negative effects   VI. Implication of the Effects to the Philippines (Actions made to combat negative migration effects)   VII. Implications of Migration to the Youth - Youth Migration VIII. Migration and Filipino Family Life, Society and Culture VIII.a. Effects on the family of an OFW VIII.b. Migration and Filipino Society IX. Solving Migration Problems X. Conclusion      I. Introduction What is migration...

Words: 14243 - Pages: 57

Premium Essay

Pricing and Exchange Rates

...countries back in forth. The impacts on public finances are neither a gain or drain on the society of the natives. Migrants cost the government more money but this line of cost moves in parallel to the surplus, which suggest that they are actually stimulating the internal demand. There is a common thought about the contributions of migrant workers being minimal because they pay fewer taxes. This could be fixed easily if they were given more opportunity in the labor force. The migrants are not given great opportunity in the work force do to the lack of educational background that may exist and less experience or lack thereof. A lacking that migrant workers may tend to have actually becomes both beneficial and troublesome. The migrant workers begin to displace the native workers, which can be troublesome, but this allows for more cheap labor while more experienced native workers can progress professionally in their careers. This especially holds true in the service industry, mainly the pediatric and geriatric sectors. It is believed that minimum wage hinders the migrant integration into the workforce and that lowering the minimum wage while giving subsidies may offset this problem allowing the migrant workers more access to the labor market. This lowering will benefit employers by lowering the costs needed for simply labor task. Unbelievably, studies show that the migrant workers actually reduce the emergency waiting times in the areas or immigration. The article that we read mentions a...

Words: 1189 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Business Papers

...owned and run by individuals not by the government. Public sector: the part of the economy owned by government or its agents. Representation: to speak, act or present officially for another person. The voluntary sector UNISON members are employed in Schools, colleges and universities Gas, electricity and water companies Transport Job roles they represent in the public sector include, for example: • librarians • Human Resources, IT and finance workers • teaching assistants and early years nursery staff • secretaries • cleaners, caretakers and school meals supervisors • care workers, social workers and nurses. UNISON campaigns on a variety of issues relevant to its members. Currently, it is running the Migrant Workers Participation Project. This campaign focuses on the issues faced by migrant workers in the UK. Migrant workers are employees who have moved from overseas to the UK to find work. They form an important and growing part of the workforce in both the private sector and public sector. These workers are at particular risk of being exploited in the workplace. This may be due to lack of knowledge of their rights, their limited command of the English language and the fact that they are often reluctant to complain about their treatment by employers. They may also be...

Words: 2620 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Unison Pest Analysis

...universities UNISON members are employed in Gas, electricity and water companies Transport Job roles they represent in the public sector include, for example: • librarians • Human Resources, IT and finance workers • teaching assistants and early years nursery staff • secretaries • cleaners, caretakers and school meals supervisors • care workers, social workers and nurses. Trade union: an organisation that represents the mutual interests of employees across a range of issues. Voluntary sector: the part of the economy which is made up of for example charities and non-profit making organisations. Private sector: the part of the economy owned and run by individuals not by the government. Public sector: the part of the economy owned by government or its agents. Representation: to speak, act or present officially for another person. UNISON campaigns on a variety of issues relevant to its members. Currently, it is running the Migrant Workers Participation Project. This campaign focuses on the issues faced by migrant workers in the UK. Migrant workers are employees who have moved from overseas to the UK to find work. They form an important and growing part of the workforce in both the private sector and public sector. These workers are at particular risk of being exploited in the workplace. This may be due to lack of knowledge of their rights, their limited command of...

Words: 2720 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Securing ‘Decent’ Conditions for Migrant Workers

...Securing ‘Decent’ Conditions for Migrant Workers1 - should it be a part of SAARC Social Charter! Pravin Sinha2 Abstract The short term migrants are those who move to other region of the same country or to another countries for employment and intend to return the country of their docile. They are beyond the place of their permanent residence with sole intention to earn income that would help in meeting the needs of the family in a better manner. In performance of their work they face exploitation at the hands of employers as also recruiting agents. The national laws protecting the interests of workers normally remain untouched in so far migrant workers are concerned as either they are not covered or overlooked. Worst is the case with the non-officially recorded migrants. Their size is significantly large when on looks at the South Asia. The labour surplus economies of South Asia have of recent awakened to the concerns of these workers, as bilateral agreements are being entered in to. The SAARC has also adopted a Social Charter. The SAARC Social Charter is an important milestone in the area of regional cooperation. The well-written document identifies seven social areas of concerns but fails to include labour as one of them. Under the condition whether concerns of migrant worker could be included in a multilateral agreement, and if so whether it will help to check the human and labour right violations that the migrant workers the faced with? This is a big question...

Words: 9085 - Pages: 37

Free Essay

Contesting the Margins Mills

...Contesting the Margins of Modernity: Women, Migration, and Consumption in Thailand Author(s): Mary Beth Mills Source: American Ethnologist, Vol. 24, No. 1 (Feb., 1997), pp. 37-61 Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of the American Anthropological Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/646565 . Accessed: 18/04/2011 07:38 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at . http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=black. . Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. Blackwell Publishing and American Anthropological...

Words: 17445 - Pages: 70

Premium Essay

Migrant Farm Workers

...Annually there are about 1 to 3 million migrants that give up the time with their family to come to the U.S. as migrant farm workers. Considering the great demand of crops, which requires a lot of labor, these migrant workers are throughout the country, especially in rural communities, although they seem to be invisible to most people. Mexico remains to be the primary source of migrant farm workers, while other workers are mostly from countries such as Jamaica, Haiti, Guatemala, Honduras, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Despite of cultural differences, they all come to the U.S. for the same purpose: to be able to provide their family a better life. They came to this country with the faith that there is another way to live their life....

Words: 395 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Remittances

...opportunity and financial wellbeing. But the pattern of migration is different according to socioeconomic status of migrants. Some are temporary and others are permanent migrants. Both categories of migrants send money to their country of origin, to their families, but the temporary migrants, often poor, sends more. Remittances have become the most powerful means to maintain relationship with migrants with their societies of origin. Remittances play a most important role in the accounts of many developing countries and are crucial to the survival of poor individuals and communities around the world. The emphasis of development policy is now firmly on poverty alleviation and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and remittances are playing a significant role to achieve some goals of MDGs. According to Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET); up to December 2009 total approximately 8 million people migrated from Bangladesh from 1976 to 2009 to different countries. In 2008, total 875055 people migrated to different countries temporarily. Among them 132124 people migrated to Saudi Arabia, 419355 to U.A.E and 131762 to Malaysia (BMET website link: http://www.bmet.org.bd/report.html). Most of these people migrated for short-term employment like for 3 to 10 years. But usually this statistics doesn’t represent the information of permanent migrants or Diasporas to developed countries like USA, UK, Canada, Europe, Australia and Japan. It is estimated that approximately...

Words: 5949 - Pages: 24

Free Essay

Geography

...Geo 113 Term- paper Introduction The topic I chose to do is migration. Migration is the movement of people from one place to another. There are four main types of migration permanent, temporary, voluntary or forced and they can be internal or international. Internal means going from your country to another within the same region and international means to from one country to another. There are various reasons why people migrate and migration has to do a lot with push and pull factors. Push factors are those which force a person to move. This can include drought, famine, lack of jobs, over population and civil war. Pull factors are those which encourage a person to move. These include a chance of a better job, better education and a better standard of living. In my article reviews I will reveal some of the reasons for migration. Since migration occurs all over the world I decided to go beyond the beautiful tranquil waters of The Bahamas into the regions of South Africa and China. I selected two out four articles which are related Africa and the other two on China these are all based on some form of migration. My first article is entitle Migration and Elderly Africans in the United States and this speaks distinctively on Immigration migration. The second article entitle The socio-economic impact of African immigration on urban development in South Africa: the case of Empangeni this speaks distinctively on African immigration in South Africa. My third article entitle Rural-urban...

Words: 4774 - Pages: 20

Premium Essay

Harriet Tubman Thesis

...better and more fair rights for migrant farm workers in the the united states, and in doing so he created a union called the(UFW) United Farm Workers union The biography “Harriet Tubman: conductor on the underground railroad” by Ann Petry is about the life of Harriet tubman as a little girl and how what she learned, seen and heard as a slave helped her escape slavery and help hundreds of African American slaves lives. Both of these people have changed history by showing the world what they are fighting for and how they bring attention to what is actually happening in the world and why it should be changed and made more fair. However...

Words: 827 - Pages: 4