The Art of Migrant Exploitation

national | racism & migration related issues | opinion/analysis

Thursday April 28, 2005 22:23

by Fergus - "get out of the box"

'Migrant Workers - The Hidden Scandal',
Not 'the official minutes'. Selected moments that made an impact from the talk hosted by Comhlámh Held at Tigh Fili, Cork in the middle of an art exhibition.

Somewhere lines blurred
And borders were crossed.

The Work Permit.
Another market-driven system.
Migrants taken for granted.
Branded, stamped
As 'units of labour'
Passported for 1 year
In the name of the employer.
Kept quiet under the fear of 'Bonded labour'.

‘You see, I’m a man of substance; I’m in the slave trade; I deal in black flesh.’ Can you imagine anyone today making it known publicly that such is his business? What a scandal ! I can hear my Parisian colleagues right now. They are adamant on the subject; they won’t hesitate to launch two or three manifestoes, maybe even more ! And on reflection, I’d add my own signature to theirs. Slavery? – certainly not, we are against it ! That we should be forced to have it in our homes or in our factories – well, that’s natural; but boasting about it, that’s the limit !
I am well aware that one can’t get along without dominating or being served. Every man needs slaves as he needs fresh air. Commanding is breathing – you agree with me? And even the most destitute manage to breathe. The lowest man in the social scale still has his wife or his child. If he’s unmarried, a dog. The essential thing, after all, is being able to get angry with someone who has no right to answer back.
...Somebody has to have the last word. Otherwise, every reason can be met with another one and there would never be an end to it. Power, on the other hand, settles everything. It took time, but we finally realized that. For instance, you must have noticed that our old Europe at last philosophizes in the right way. We no longer say as in simple times : ‘This is my opinion. What are your objections?’ We have become lucid. For the dialogue we have substituted the communique. 'This is the truth,' we say. 'You can discuss it as much as you want; we aren't interested. But in a few years there'll be the police to show you I'm right.'
...Just between ourselves, slavery, preferably smiling, is therefore inevitable. But we must not admit it. Isn't it better that whoever cannot do without having slaves should call them free men? As a matter of principle to begin with, and, secondly, not to drive them to despair. We owe them that compensation, don't we? In that way, they will continue to smile and we shall maintain our good conscience. Otherwise, we'd be obliged to reconsider our opinion of ourselves; we'd go mad with suffering, or even become modest - for anything might happen.

Taken from 'The Fall'
by Albert Camus.

The Domestication of Migrant Workers
Report : 'Private Homes a Public Concern'
The Phillipino nanny (MSc.) - an object, a 'unit of labour', a symbol of middle-class status
and childcare on the cheap.
A huge economic growth area, exploitation unregulated.
Kept quiet under the fear of 'Bonded labour'.

Exploitation of agri-workers.
Gang-Masters of Morcambe Bay.
Sometimes prosecuted for avoiding tax
Nonetimes prosecuted for migrant workers-rights violations.

Nasc reported violations to the Irish Labour Inspectorate. (1 inspector of 21)
But was ignored, told migrants "are not as vulnerable as you think."
The Irish Labour Inspectorate also neglect themselves. A Irish Labour Inspectorate Report remains buried.
Recommendations ignored.

Self-deception?
Or political will?

http://www.comhlamh.org

Migrants Rights Centre Ireland
http;//www.mrci.ie

Independent Workers Union, 55 North Main St, Cork
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=64003

Nasc - The Irish Immigrant Support Centre, St Marie's of the Isle, Sharman Crawford St, Cork City. iisc@eircom.net

On arrival home the object sits in the kitchen, it may be rotated occasionally and looked at from different angles. Then a decision has to be made, does it go further into the house, maybe the front room for further analysis, to be looked at while watching the TV, placed on the floor for a few days, or must it re-enter the charity shop, excluded from the suitcases and boxes of objects around my house.
Taken from 'Objects', a show of new work by Jon Milton

And what about prosecuting the supermarkets that profit from cheap produce?