How/ why are Eastern-European migrant workers vulnerable in the UK hospitality sector?
Author: Hatsumi Sekiguchi
2 Commentries
Abstract: UK hospitality sector has experienced the rapid influx of Eastern-European migrant workers especially after the EU enlargement in 2014, and they are the essential workforce for tourism industry in the UK. However, those migrants are considered as vulnerable workers as they are working under the bad condition.
Key words: migrant workers, vulnerability, tourism/ hospitality sector
Nowadays, large number of migrants have moved to the UK tourism/ hospitality sector to work as it is reported that roughly 5 million and 16 per cent of all workforce are from outside of the UK (people 1st, 2016). Further, especially after the EU enlargement in 2004, the UK experienced the rapid influx of Eastern-European migrants as the enlargement allow ‘A8 countries’ (Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic) joined European Union and migrate to the UK without restrictions. After that, in 2007, Bulgaria and Romania called ‘A2 nationals’ has newly been enabled to join to EU by the second enlargement happened,. These policies allow migrant workers from Eastern-Europe work in the UK much easier than before.
Eastern-European people prefer to work in the UK hospitality sector to that industry in their countries due to the fact that they can gain higher wage. It is showed that the average salary in Eastern-Europe is much lower than that in UK (£2083 per month) (Salary Explorer, 2019). Moreover, the jobs in hospitality sector can provide a lot of opportunities for them to contact with customers especially if they work as front-of-house staff, and it helps them to improve their linguistic ability. Further, it is stated that the shift and work patterns are permanent and flexible in this sector. Thus migrant workers can take holidays and go back to their home countries easily.
However, not only that migrant workers can take some advantages by working in the UK hospitality sector, but also they are vulnerable at their work place. First of all, they are working under the under-paid and low-paid conditions. It is reported that most of migrant workers get much less than locals or the minimum wage although it is illegal based on National Minimum Wage Act 1996 (Janta, et al., 2010). Secondly, most of migrant workers from Eastern-Europe are over qualified for their jobs. Although the hospitality industry is known as low-skilled job, mostly half of Eastern-European workers have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree and one out of five of them are involved in working holidays (Janta, et al., 2011). Even though they can get better jobs such as marketing or management that allow them to get better salary, but they do not have option of the place to work. Thirdly, sometimes they are discriminated at their work place as it is reported that sometimes they are allowed to work in only back-of-house as employer think they do not have enough language skills. Also, they are sometimes bullied from other colleagues, customers or employers because they are not natives.
It can be considered that there are some reasons why they are vulnerable as it is stated previously. Firstly, many of migrant workers do not have any certification to work or written employment contract that have legal power; it is showed that 670,000 migrants settled and worked illegally in the UK in 2007 (London School of Economics, 2009). Thus, both employers and migrant workers think that workers cannot sue employers because of their illegal working status even if they are working under the illegal condition. Besides, it is reported that many of Eastern-European migrant workers have language difficulty as they do not use English as mother tongue in their countries. Thirdly, the lack of knowledge of local labour practices can be a part of factors of their vulnerability. It does not allow them to choose appropriate jobs for them and to know their rights as a worker in the UK (Janta, 2011).
However, this illegal conditions can be improved in various ways. Firstly, migrant workers should connect with other migrants to gain information, and should know their rights as an employee in the UK. Additionally, government should force employers to treat migrant workers equally to locals, and also should provide some HRM approaches for migrant workers to reveal if they have difficulties at work. Finally, also customers in hospitality sector can give understanding for them that they are from other countries.
References
Anderson, B., Ruhs, M., Rogaly, B. and Spencer, S. (2006) Fair enough? Central and East European migrants in low-wage employment in the UK. York, UK: The Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Oxford.
Janta, H., Lugosi, P., Brown, L., Ladkin, A. (2011) Migrant Relationships and Tourism Employment. London, UK: Annals of Tourism Research.
Janta, H., Lugosi, P., Brown, L., Ladkin, A. (2011) Migrant networks, language learning and tourism employment. Poole, UK: Science Direct.
Key words: migrant workers, vulnerability, tourism/ hospitality sector
Nowadays, large number of migrants have moved to the UK tourism/ hospitality sector to work as it is reported that roughly 5 million and 16 per cent of all workforce are from outside of the UK (people 1st, 2016). Further, especially after the EU enlargement in 2004, the UK experienced the rapid influx of Eastern-European migrants as the enlargement allow ‘A8 countries’ (Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic) joined European Union and migrate to the UK without restrictions. After that, in 2007, Bulgaria and Romania called ‘A2 nationals’ has newly been enabled to join to EU by the second enlargement happened,. These policies allow migrant workers from Eastern-Europe work in the UK much easier than before.
Eastern-European people prefer to work in the UK hospitality sector to that industry in their countries due to the fact that they can gain higher wage. It is showed that the average salary in Eastern-Europe is much lower than that in UK (£2083 per month) (Salary Explorer, 2019). Moreover, the jobs in hospitality sector can provide a lot of opportunities for them to contact with customers especially if they work as front-of-house staff, and it helps them to improve their linguistic ability. Further, it is stated that the shift and work patterns are permanent and flexible in this sector. Thus migrant workers can take holidays and go back to their home countries easily.
However, not only that migrant workers can take some advantages by working in the UK hospitality sector, but also they are vulnerable at their work place. First of all, they are working under the under-paid and low-paid conditions. It is reported that most of migrant workers get much less than locals or the minimum wage although it is illegal based on National Minimum Wage Act 1996 (Janta, et al., 2010). Secondly, most of migrant workers from Eastern-Europe are over qualified for their jobs. Although the hospitality industry is known as low-skilled job, mostly half of Eastern-European workers have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree and one out of five of them are involved in working holidays (Janta, et al., 2011). Even though they can get better jobs such as marketing or management that allow them to get better salary, but they do not have option of the place to work. Thirdly, sometimes they are discriminated at their work place as it is reported that sometimes they are allowed to work in only back-of-house as employer think they do not have enough language skills. Also, they are sometimes bullied from other colleagues, customers or employers because they are not natives.
It can be considered that there are some reasons why they are vulnerable as it is stated previously. Firstly, many of migrant workers do not have any certification to work or written employment contract that have legal power; it is showed that 670,000 migrants settled and worked illegally in the UK in 2007 (London School of Economics, 2009). Thus, both employers and migrant workers think that workers cannot sue employers because of their illegal working status even if they are working under the illegal condition. Besides, it is reported that many of Eastern-European migrant workers have language difficulty as they do not use English as mother tongue in their countries. Thirdly, the lack of knowledge of local labour practices can be a part of factors of their vulnerability. It does not allow them to choose appropriate jobs for them and to know their rights as a worker in the UK (Janta, 2011).
However, this illegal conditions can be improved in various ways. Firstly, migrant workers should connect with other migrants to gain information, and should know their rights as an employee in the UK. Additionally, government should force employers to treat migrant workers equally to locals, and also should provide some HRM approaches for migrant workers to reveal if they have difficulties at work. Finally, also customers in hospitality sector can give understanding for them that they are from other countries.
References
Anderson, B., Ruhs, M., Rogaly, B. and Spencer, S. (2006) Fair enough? Central and East European migrants in low-wage employment in the UK. York, UK: The Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Oxford.
Janta, H., Lugosi, P., Brown, L., Ladkin, A. (2011) Migrant Relationships and Tourism Employment. London, UK: Annals of Tourism Research.
Janta, H., Lugosi, P., Brown, L., Ladkin, A. (2011) Migrant networks, language learning and tourism employment. Poole, UK: Science Direct.