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The exploitation of migrant workers in the UK tourism and hospitality industry; how can cultural diversity be managed in the future?

The exploitation of migrant workers in the UK tourism and hospitality industry; how can cultural diversity be managed in the future?
Author: Alexandra Matters
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Key Words: Exploitation, Migrant Workers, Cultural Diversity

Abstract:

The paper will assess the exploitation of migrant workers working the in UK tourism and hospitality industry and address whether cultural diversity can be managed for future migrants working in the UK.

The term ‘exploitation’ can be generally defined as the action or fact of treating someone unfairly in order to benefit or gain advantages from their work and the term ‘migrant’ can be defined as; a person who moves from one place to another in order to find work or better living conditions.

When the new labour government came to power in 1997, it promised to deliver ‘managed migration’ to encourage the flow of temporary migration in the interests of the UK economy by expanding existing temporary worker schemes and adding new programmes. Thus, “the number of work permits issued to foreign-born workers rose from 40,000 per year in the mid-1990s to over 200,000 per year in 2004” (Flynn, 2005).

According to the People 1st report (2011) “the hospitality and tourism sector accounts for more than 2 million jobs.” The sector continues to rely on a high percentage of migrant workers; 22% in fact with the higher proportion of migrant workers working in hotels, restaurants and event industries.

The main characteristics of UK tourism employment can make migrant workers particularly vulnerable to exploitation; persistent labour and skills shortages, high staff turnover, flexible and seasonal, long unsocial hours, physical work, many jobs involve high levels of customer contact and are perceived as low paid, easy to find and easy to quit, with no previous experience necessary, this is why there is a high reliance on migrant workers. Gadow (2009:4) describes the typical characteristics of a migrant worker in the tourism and hospitality sector as; “…a national of an EU state…young… new to the UK…only a limited understanding of UK law… Workers’ command of the English language varies, their family and social networks in the UK are often limited, their financial resources often minimal, and their welfare rights restricted as a result of their immigration status.”

Common forms of exploitation in tourism can be a lack of clear contracts, irregular hours, underpayment/late payment/withholding of pay, unguaranteed hours, unpaid holidays or non-payment of sick pay and unexplained deductions from pay, excessive charges for services, uniform, tools, transport or food, excessive working hours (undocumented pay/ unpaid hours) and in some cases unfair dismissal without a formal warning.

Since the beginning of the economic downturn, new methods of reducing workers’ pay through cutting wages, charging for new services and effective non-payment of social security contributions have emerged and combine to create real risks of exploitation as the recession bites. (Gadow, 2009: 5) Some employers are simply exploiting those willing to work for low wages.

There are advantages for employers of employing migrant workers as they are perceived to have a stronger and more positive work attitude and stronger work ethic than UK-born employees. Lyon (2009:26) states; “Migrant workers were seen as a very hardworking, dedicated, very reliable and punctual, obedient and respectful of authority.”

The problem with exploiting migrant workers in the UK tourism and hospitality industry is that it is against the law, as the law states all workers in the UK have the right to; a minimum wage; work a maximum number of hours a week; paid holiday; health and safety protection; be protected from discrimination; leave a job and join a union. (Source: Trade Union Congress (TUC), 2007)

In conclusion, exploiting migrant workers is wrong and against the law, and there needs to be more information readily available to migrant workers from the moment they start work in the UK and they should be provided with the knowledge concerning their rights and entitlements, and employers within the UK need to be constantly checked and regulated.

Governments should make sure existing legislation is used to tackle businesses that break the law by exploiting their workforce and should introduces incentives to enable confidential reporting of exploitative employment and there needs to be harsher punishments for those exploiting migrants. Employers should have a part to play in managing cultural diversity in the future; by giving the workers a voice, and enforcing their fundamental rights.

Finally, the ‘Staff Wanted Initiative’ (2012) needs to be a reading requirement to combat the exploitation of migrant workers in the UK hospitality industry for employers to help protect their business and those who work within.

References:

Flynn, D. (2005) ‘New borders, new management: the dilemmas of modern migration policies’, Ethnic and Racial Studies, 28(93): 463–90.

Lyon, A. and Sulcova, D. (2009) Hotel employer’s perceptions of employing Eastern European workers: A case study of Cheshire, UK. Tourism, Culture &Communications. Vol. 9, pp.17-28

Staff Wanted Incentive (2012) Combatting forced labour, trafficking and exploitation in the UK hospitality industry. [Online] Available from: http://www.staff-wanted.org/