U.K. Home Office targets migrant workers instead of the companies exploiting them

The new government in the U.K. has pledged to step up deportations, with those caught working illegally being “detained and swiftly removed”. However, the minister for border security and asylum also promised to clamp down on the “exploitative treatment of illegal workers”. But as reported in The Guardian, a recent round-up of irregular migrants seems to belay that. Instead the roundups point to the government targeting migrants, many of whom are working in modern slavery conditions, and ignoring the companies that employ them through exploitative and illegal labor practices.  

Deporting the workers while ignoring the system 

Large companies such as Deliveroo and Uber Eats need a constant flow of delivery people to support their business model. And a recent raid of a migrant caravan camp in Bristol found many who lived there were employed under exploitative conditions as delivery people by these two companies. Since they were undocumented, they were forced to “rent” legitimate accounts on the delivery apps and then pay a proportion of their earnings to the owner of the account. All that on top of earning below the minimum wage for the work.  

Alex Marshall, the President of the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), which represents gig economy workers said:  

“Instead of going after the predatory employers whose business models are built on exploiting the desperate, the government opts over and over again for performative cruelty towards the people just trying to survive,” 

One of the migrants from the camp said the raid did nothing to help the workers living in the encampment. In her opinion, if the government was really concerned about workers, they should be raiding the companies employing them. The government needs to be looking for a better way to regulate the companies. Not rounding up and criminalizing those doing the work.  

Regularize don’t criminalize  

The latest estimate is that between 800,000 and 1.2 million undocumented migrants are living in the U.K. without a valid visa or documentation. And it is estimated more than half have been living and working in the country for at least five years. But currently there are few routes to regularize your immigration status if you entered the U.K. through irregular channels.   

Heather Mack, the deputy leader of Bristol council, where the most recent raid took place said: 

“Why not create a way to help immigrants work here legally? That way, they would be helping us and at the same time gaining more labor to help the country grow.” 

Mack feels instead of raids, the government should provide undocumented workers a route to citizenship. That would help protect them from exploitation. Those picked up in the Bristol raid were taken to detention centers in London where they now face deportation. Many of those in detention have been working and living in the country for years. Marshall said, “That government ministers should cheer on these Home Office attacks on unprotected workers is contemptible.” The IWGB is calling on the government to support migrants finding a pathway to legitimate work. And instead of workers, to target companies who are exploiting vulnerable migrants.  

It’s a lack of safe migration routes, combined with a hostile reception and subsequent undocumented migration status that create the conditions for exploitation like this to thrive. Add your voice to those calling on governments everywhere to create genuine anti-trafficking immigration policies and help protect vulnerable migrants from exploitation and criminalization.