Migrant workers safety advice from TUC

Help for safety representatives and other union activists who work with migrant workers to make sure that their rights and safety are protected is available in an updated guide.

Unfortunately there are no accurate figures on the number of migrant workers who are killed, injured or made ill through work.

Safety and migrant workers: a TUC guide for trade union activists explains that at one end of the scale many migrant workers face no, or very little, increased risk — as they speak fluent English, may have worked in the UK for many years and have the same working conditions and security as non-migrant workers. However, at the other end of the scale there are those “who have no rights and are effectively victims of slavery”.

The guide sets out that according to 2014 Home Office estimates, there were 10,000 to 13,000 modern slavery victims working as domestic servants, agricultural workers or in illegal sweatshops, although many other industries have been implicated ranging from nail bars to fishing.

Case studies on how unions have protected the health and safety of migrant workers and checklists on what safety reps can do are also included in the guide.

https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/Migrant%20workers%202015.pdf