Morecambe Bay: five years on, abuse of migrant workers continues
February 4th, 2009 by Krisnah Poinasamy Posted in labourrights
Five years to the day after the tragic death of 23 Chinese cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay, Krisnah Poinasamy reflects on what has changed.
As current events ask us to consider the place of migrants in our economy, with wildcat strikes seemingly against immigrant labour, it’s worth taking a minute to reflect.
Rewind five years to 2004 – the good times – when the economy was booming and the financial markets were allowed to thrive in an era of excessive deregulation, minimal oversight and an abundance of cheap credit. It was at that time, five years ago today, that we were suddenly reminded of the dark underbelly of labour in the UK as 23 Chinese cockle pickers drowned as the tide came in at Morecambe Bay.
Fundamentally, the tragedy occurred because the labour market was characterised by its lack of regulation and poor enforcement, leading to an abundance of cheap labour provided by unscrupulous gangmasters.
Five years on and the shellfishing sector is regulated by the Gangmasters Licensing Authority – an enforcement agency set up in reaction to the Morecambe Bay tragedy. Yet exploitation of migrant workers remains rife – both in this and in other sectors of the economy. Large numbers of sectors, including construction, hospitality and care, are all highly dependent upon the migrant population, yet these sectors – beyond the remit of the GLA – remain poorly regulated.
Abuses are well-documented: construction workers that face illegal deductions for tools and transport; chambermaids that are paid per room, then asked to clean too many rooms per hour to get to the legal minimum wage; care sector workers that suffer physical and verbal abuse. The fragmented system of labour rights enforcement fails the migrant worker and allows employers and labour providers to undercut their competitors who abide by the law.
This anniversary should remind us all of the abject failure of this government to improve and enforce labour rights. Big business will always suggest that a deregulated market is necessary for growth, and oppose any new rights, which inevitably they’ll pigeonhole as “red tape”. But that “red tape” will help prevent more tragedies and will guarantee decent jobs for everyone – migrant and Brit alike. With many people desperate to stay in work, now is surely the right time to make sure that they will not be forced into dangerous illegal work.
