Labour migration and livelihoods
Vulnerable migrant workers: the responsibility of business
Corporate responsibility towards migrant workers
Authors:
; The Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility
Publisher:
The Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility, 2009
This report provides an overview of the vulnerable position of many migrant workers employed in Britain and Ireland and offers a comparative analysis of the extent to which nine food production, manufacture and retail (supermarket) companies address this vulnerability.
Key findings and issues:
- with the growth in 'flexible' labour, migrant workers have increasingly filled agency, seasonal and temporary jobs in Britain and Ireland.
- migrant workers are vulnerable and may be subject to very low pay, over-long hours, poor health and safety conditions, and discrimination.
- weaknesses in the rights enforcement system mean that abuses may go undetected and unaddressed.
- sectors where migrant workers are concentrated include care, cleaning, construction, hospitality and catering, and food production, manufacturing and retail (supermarkets).
- companies and investors have a responsibility to reduce the incidence of vulnerable work throughout the supply chain.
- few food companies in the study are explicit about the potential vulnerability of migrant workers or the additional support that they may need.
- few of these companies have mainstreamed considerations about labour conditions into their core business practice.
- recognise the potential vulnerability of migrant, temporary and agency workers;
- mainstream responsibility for labour conditions in their business practice;
- implement effective codes of conduct for suppliers;
- increase awareness of rights among all workers;
- strengthen monitoring and audits.
