{"id":11743,"date":"2017-03-08T17:00:37","date_gmt":"2017-03-08T17:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=11743"},"modified":"2017-03-08T17:00:37","modified_gmt":"2017-03-08T17:00:37","slug":"under-pressure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=11743","title":{"rendered":"Under pressure"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Today on International Women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Day (March 8), much is made of the overall pay gap between men and women in the UK \u00e2\u20ac\u201c now standing stubbornly high at 19 per cent.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not as often talked about is that if you happen to be both a woman and<\/em> Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME), the problem is compounded \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the pay gap, for example, between Bangladeshi and Pakistani women and UK men overall, skyrockets to 26 per cent<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Migrant women workers arguably have it worst \u00e2\u20ac\u201c in addition to working in low-paid sectors, many face language barriers that make them especially vulnerable to employer exploitation, since they often do not fully understand their rights.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Migrant women workers are also often severely under-employed, according to the Fawcett Society.<\/a> Many come to the UK with high educational qualifications but because they are not recognised in the UK, they are forced to take on low-paid work.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And migrant women workers too tend to be concentrated in occupations in which abuse and exploitation is particularly rife, such as domestic work, food processing, care and hospitality.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Nilufer Guler, a waitress and member of Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Restaurant and Bar Workers branch, reveals just how common sexual abuse is in her industry.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s totally and completely normalised,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she explains. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bJust the other day, a customer very forcefully brushed his crotch against a waitress. Women are constantly being told by management to wear short skirts, to shave, that their hair isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t okay.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bManagers impose on women workers hugs and kisses and threaten them if they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do exactly as they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re told,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Nilufer explains.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Although not herself a migrant worker, many of her colleagues are, and she says they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re particularly vulnerable.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn my experience in hospitality, workers in housekeeping for example are almost all women and every single one I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve met has been a migrant worker,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bHousekeeping contracts are intentially designed to make you entirely disposable \u00e2\u20ac\u201c they also don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t specify your hours, the amount of rooms you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re expected to clean or the time you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re expected to spend on each room.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis lack of clarity gives management full latitude to totally control every aspect of work and change the terms at any time. Companies shamelessly exploit this because there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so little regulation in hospitality and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worse for migrants because most don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand their basic rights.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She recalled one instance when she was helping represent a migrant worker whose rota was suddenly changed after several years of having a consistent schedule.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe sudden change in rota was devastating for this worker,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bShe was a single mother and it totally ruined her childcare arrangements.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

While hospitality workers all deal with many of the same issues, migrant women are at higher risk, Nilufer says, because many have visa insecurities and so are afraid to complain about their treatment.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThey also work ridiculous hours just to make ends meet so the farthest thing from their minds is making a fuss that could risk their job \u00e2\u20ac\u201c they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re paid so little that many are just one pay check away from homelessness. Under that sort of pressure and fear, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re very reluctant to join trade unions.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Making a \u00e2\u20ac\u0098huge difference\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

But trade unions, Nilufer emphasises, can make a huge difference for migrant women workers and she believes Unite and the wider labour movement must devote more of its resources to organise this particularly vulnerable group.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bA union presence changes the entire dynamic of a workplace,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bOne Romanian colleague of mine was facing a disciplinary for not making it into work on time one day. When I told management a trade union rep would be accompanying her, the meeting was instantly cancelled. Being in a union sends a very strong message.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite in particular is a good vehicle for campaigning \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Nilufer points to a successful demonstration supported by the Restaurant and Bar Workers branch which rallied around migrant staff working at Byron Burgers who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been targeted in immigration raids.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The mass protests which Unite helped organise forced the burger chain to close for a day<\/a> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and brought the plight of migrant workers front and centre in the media.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite general secretary for equalities Diana Holland today (March 8) seconded a motion at the TUC Women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Conference on organising migrant women workers, which called on the trade union movement to take greater strides in embracing migrant women.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis is a group of workers facing additional hostility from their bosses,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she told UNITElive before the conference. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThere\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a great deal of fear among migrant workers that rogue bosses prey on \u00e2\u20ac\u201c women in particular are targeted when family responsibilities or pregnancy are an issue; they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re forced to put up or shut up.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe know also that trafficking \u00e2\u20ac\u201c modern-day slavery \u00e2\u20ac\u201c occurs in sectors in which migrant women tend to work such as in food processing, domestic work, hospitality and care.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Holland noted that Unite is actively lobbying the government to take measures to protect migrant women workers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For one, the union successfully fought for the extended remit of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) \u00e2\u20ac\u201c before, the public body only oversaw labour exploitation in food and agriculture but now it has been given extra powers to investigate all sectors.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now, Unite is calling on the new body, now called the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) to reinstate trade union representation on its board which it previously dropped. Unite is also calling for licensing to be extended to all sectors beyond food and agriculture and for the GLAA to be properly resourced.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Justice for domestic workers <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Unite is likewise on the frontlines in the fight against the tied domestic worker visa through its campaigning group Justice 4 Domestic Workers.<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In 2012, the government introduced a “tied visa” regime which prevents domestic workers from changing employers. This change has dramatically heightened the risk of migrant domestic workers facing emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Justice 4 Domestic Workers \u00e2\u20ac\u201c organised for and by domestic workers themselves \u00e2\u20ac\u201c has relentlessly pressed the government for change in a series of ongoing coordinated actions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But such campaigns are only the start for Unite, Holland says.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bEven though Unite is a union which represents all workers, we have to recognise that migrant women workers are among the most vulnerable \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and often the exploitation they face is hidden,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she told UNITElive. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThat\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why we must be doubly alert.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Addressing the TUC Women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Conference today, Holland urged delegates \u00e2\u20ac\u201c especially after a 41 per cent increase in reported hate crime following the EU referendum \u00e2\u20ac\u201c to \u00e2\u20ac\u015bsend a united message, that every migrant woman worker has a proud place in our trade unions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I know that ‘sectoral bargaining’, ‘Gangmasters Licensing Authority’ and ‘Overseas Domestic Worker Visa’ are not demands that sound very exciting; but they are. They prevent trafficking and modern day slavery, and they safeguard standards for all workers.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“The year after they abolished sectoral collective bargaining in agriculture, where many migrant women workers work, Unite’s survey showed over 60 per cent had no pay rise and 80 per cent of those who had a pay rise had no say,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe know too there is abuse of many migrant women workers in sectors like hospitality, contract cleaning and social care – sector bargaining here could make a real difference for all workers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Many of our unions were built by workers who were migrant workers. Don’t let anyone divide us. This is all our movement.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today on International Women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Day (March 8), much is made of the overall pay gap between men and women in the UK \u00e2\u20ac\u201c now standing stubbornly high at 19 per cent.   But what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not as often talked about is that if you happen to be both a woman and Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME), […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5256,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[259,574],"wps_subtitle":"Women migrant workers speak out","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11743"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11743"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11744,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11743\/revisions\/11744"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}