OMBUDSWOMAN Iliana Nicolaou has accused the government of allowing the exploitation of asylum seekers in the workplace and ordered an immediate review of its policy, referring in particular to the decision to restrict their employment to the farming sector.
A recent report by the Ombudswoman revealed that asylum seekers were restricted to working in “the worst sector in employment and on wages that no unskilled local worker would accept”.
The decision in effect violates the principle of equal treatment in employment and fails to secure minimum working conditions for asylum seekers, allowing their “exploitation as a cheap labour force, not only by the employer but by the state itself”.
She referred to cases where a trained teacher and AIDS sufferer was forced to work on a livestock farm, despite a doctor’s letter confirming that he needed close medical surveillance. Two other asylum seekers with serious health problems, certified by doctors, were also told they had no choice but to work on a farm. For those who refuse employment in the only sector they are allowed to work, the law allows the state to cut off all social benefits. So, whether you are skilled, educated, sick or young, the only option for you to earn a living while awaiting a decision on your refugee status is on the farm.
The Ombudswoman noted that average net wages for farmhands was £195 (€333) a month, way below the basic minimum wage for the country, set at £409 (€699) per month.
After receiving numerous complaints from NGOs and asylum seekers, the Ombudswoman concluded that the government needed to formulate a more responsible migration policy that did not deprive migrants seeking asylum from their basic human rights, mainly equal treatment in employment. Nicolaou also suggested the government put into effect a more effective system for processing asylum applications, one that would filter out bogus claims much faster than the current system.
The Ombudswoman highlighted that the reasoning behind the government’s decision to restrict asylum seekers to work in the hardest and lowest paid sector in employment was faulty.
Limiting the employment rights of asylum seekers in the labour market was acceptable where the policy sought to protect jobs and give priority to local and European workers. However, in this case, the government’s intention was to put off migrants from applying for asylum, and as such did not serve a legal purpose, said the report.
