Unfair+Treatment+at+the+Workplace

by Jonas People often think that they themselves are underpaid. However, migrants receive even less money than they, often for the same job. Also, migrants are not treated the same way; migrants do the same jobs, with different consequences, and often with their rights taken away.
 * Unfairness at the Workplace**

In Thailand, the Nasawat Apparel, Co. has to pay US$421,000 dollars to 257 Burmese migrant workers for unfair wages and treatment. Until December 2003, each migrant worker was being paid about US$1.30 per hour, and overtime was about 22 cents/hour. However, the Thai labor law disallows any salary under a minimum wage of US$3.50 an hour, with 70 cents for overtime. The migrants were also deducted monthly amounts to pay for the work permit that they needed to stay. “The employees could not refuse to work overtime, particularly when there were peak production periods; they were refused sleep.” (Moe Swe, http://ipsnews.net/mekong/IPSWire/legalwin.html) At times, working women would collapse on the floor due to exhaustion, but were still ignored by the managers with “no hint of taking the women to the hospital.”

Also in Thailand, companies that exploit migrant workers could be punished by having their investment privileges taken away. Human rights commissioner Sunee Chaiyarose suggested the proposal to protect rights of migrant workers in the country. Her thought was proposed at a forum by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Workers leave their home countries for Thailand because they hope to receive better wages for jobs that Thais do not want. This problem could not be resolved for a long time because the workers did not want to speak out against their employers concerning their mistreatment and low wages in fear that they would be sent back home.

Another example took place in the Philippines; Noraida, an eleven-year old girl with seven siblings and poor, struggling parents, agreed to travel two hours to her aunt and uncle’s house. Three years later, Noraida was sent abroad by her aunt to work. However, she was too young to legally work around the world, so she bought a fake passport and found a family with the help of an agency. She worked in the Gulf of Arabia, quickly learned the language, and was able to send money to her aunt during her three-year stay. After trying to work back home in the Philippines and failing, she once again began working abroad for more money; however, this time, her work situation would be different. She started work at 5:30 AM every day, being cursed and shouted at and rapped on the head by her employer if she did not do the work. Noraida’s boss even held her pay, claming that her work wasn’t done sufficiently. Noraida found herself trapped for the length of her contract with no money and an abusive boss.

These instances are not uncommon; migrants are exploited all over the world. If people learn about this discrimination, then the problem will be easier to solve.

Sources: http://ipsnews.net/mekong/IPSWire/legalwin.html  [|http://www.populationconnection.org/upload/Women's%20Migration%20FS.pdf] http://www.cawinfo.org/Article339.html?POSTNUKESID=a8ffc6e711b42f6dfdc311b1a8a4bb4c