Newsnight: Immigrant Workers Exploited
Last night Newsnight broadcast an investigation into the exploitation of immigrant labour in London hotels. Newsnight found that workers were being paid according to the number of rooms cleaned not hours worked. This meant that workers were regularly being paid below the £5.73 per hour minimum adult wage. Example payslips which the BBC uncovered [...]
What about labour standards in other sectors in UAE?
As you will have seen from the Impactt newsfeed and blog, there has been significant coverage recently on the conditions for migrant construction workers in Dubai and the UAE. What it often not realised however, is that there is also a thriving manufacturing industry in operation here which is well placed to serve global [...]
UAE responds to Panorama expose, but more remains to be done.
Following the Panorama programme last week, and the widespread media coverage of the fate of Dubai construction workers, the UAE Ministry of Labour has announced a series of initiatives to address the issues raised.
A spokesperson from the Ministry reported on Friday that they are conducting an education programme for migrant workers. This is said [...]
Slumdogs amongst Dubai’s millionaires
After last year’s Primark on the Rack, BBC Panorama has been investigating labour standards again. This time the BBC exposé focuses on the conditions of migrant workers building luxury estates in Dubai. Dubai is a by-word for 1st world seven-star living, with developments endorsed by footballer Michael Owen, cricketer Andrew Flintoff and celebrity chef [...]
Spotlight on Working Conditions: Tipping in the Service Industry
A campaign launched by The Independent last week aims to highlight the treatment of waiters and waitresses working in some of the biggest name high-street restaurant chains. In an article entitled “Revealed: how the restaurant chains pocket your tips” The Independent exposed a series of unfair practices in the restaurant industry. The article showed [...]
Migrant Workers in the UK… Silent Exploitation?
A recent Guardian leader raised the issue of ‘unheard workers’ in the UK who are suffering under abhorrent conditions working for agencies in industries such as agriculture and food packing. The leader states that, in direct contrast to the issues of foreign sweatshops and labour standards in the garment industry, the issues in our [...]