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Employment related settlement

12 September 2011

Introduction

Employment related settlement (Adobe Acrobat Document 54kb)

When migrant domestic workers approach Citizens Advice Bureaux for support with employment or immigration issues, they are normally referred to Kalayaan for more specialist support.  This is made possible by the fact that migrant domestic workers have an immigration status independent of their employer and therefore can work to enforce their employment rights without fearing removal from the UK.  We have seen the extent to which the visa works to protect migrant domestic workers.

This is particularly important.  Citizens Advice know that while the vast majority of employers try hard to meet their legal obligations to their workforce, there are still far too many unscrupulous or rogue employers prepared to flout the law and so profit from exploitation.  In the Winter 2009 edition of our quarterly social policy journal, evidence http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/policy/evidence-journal.htm , we reported the cases of a number of migrant workers who had approached a CAB for help.  In two of the cases highlighted, the clients were too scared to complain about their working conditions as they were afraid of losing their jobs.  In one case this was compounded by the fact that the chef’s work permit was tied to his employer and he was afraid of being deported.

Migrant domestic workers are arguably far more vulnerable than a chef or other migrant workers because they are isolated and do not have co-workers to go to for support or from whom to find out where to go for help.  They also live with their employer meaning losing their job additionally means losing their housing and facing homelessness and destitution.