Joseph Rowntree Foundation reseach forced labour among Chinese migrant workers

The study by Carolyn Kagan et al., published on the 1st November, asks "How are Chinese migrant workers exploited at work, and why are they vulnerable to forced labour?" It seeks to answer this by examining the experiences of 32 Chinese migrant workers, primarily working in the hospitality and catering businesses.


The report reveals the range of exploitation, and finds that many of the migrant workers end up working very long hours for pay well below the minimum wage. It identifies the interactions of migraton, work and family and analyses why low-skilled migrant workers from China are vulnerable to forced labour. The authors conclude that 'government, business regulators, trade unions, Chinese businesses and community organisations could take inter-related actions to improve conditions for Chinese migrant workers'.

From providing a strict definition of forced labour to the identification of the family as a source of support and pressure through to their direct proposals for improving the situation, this research proves interesting and is well worth a read.

Click here for the report.

Fears that Olympics will see a significant increase in labour exploitation

Mick Clarke, the director of the Passage Day Centre in London, spoke in The Guardian of his worries about 2012: "There's this myth, even with the economy as it is now, that people believe you can come to London and the streets are paved with gold. But unless you've got a firm offer of a job, don't come."

The centre receives one report a week of eastern Europeans being exploited by criminal gangs. Mike Nicholas, a spokesman for Thames Reach, says that ‘criminal gangs have been exploiting people in shocking ways tantamount to modern-day slavery.’

The Serious Organized Crime Agency is now investigating several such cases, and 31 people have been arrested in relation to one specific scam that has been under investigation for two years by customs officers and Polish police. This gang had trafficked over 200 people to the UK and carried out approximately £2 million in benefit fraud. (You can read more about this here.)

Gedimanas Rekesius, a victim of trafficking to the UK for work, described his experiences: "For five months I asked when I would get a job, but all I did was clean their home. They were always sending me to the shop to buy them meals, Pampers for the children, that sort of thing. I felt if I said no, there would be big problems."

"I want people to know what happened to me. I will find it hard to trust anyone again."

There could not be more chilling and compelling evidence that we must pressure the government to do more about trafficking and modern slavery. You can sign our Slavery-Free London pledge here and read more about the campaign here.