From severe to routine labour exploitation: The case of migrant workers in the UK food industry

Abstract

The issue of exploitative labour practices against migrant workers has been well established in previous work. Yet most research and policy focus on severe forms of exploitation, including types of 'modern slavery' such as human trafficking and forced labour. Research has paid less attention to 'routine' labour abuses that are less extreme than severe exploitation, but which are still exploitative or harmful. This article argues that a stronger emphasis is needed on routine labour exploitation, which risks being overlooked when contrasted with severe exploitation. Drawing on a qualitative study of migrant labour in the UK food industry, the article demonstrates that workers experience a range of mistreatment in the workplace, which is unlikely to fall within the scope of severe exploitation and remit of 'criminal justice' interventions. In order to achieve full 'labour justice', more consistent attention is needed on these routine and banal practices, not just the most brutal.

Human trafficking for sex, labour and domestic servitude: how do key trafficking types compare and what are their predictors?

“…Temporal differences might reflect factors such as seasonal patterns in various industries (e.g. agriculture/food processing, [23]), the relative visibility of different victim groups at different times of year and/or enforcement activity. Although our results cannot offer definitive answers, they raise important questions about the opportunity structures of trafficking activity and highlight the need for further enquiry into the temporal and spatial distribution of trafficking, an under-researched topic [19,46].…”

Market dynamics of harm and labour exploitation

“…Through this lens of harm, it is critical to focus on the full spectrum of labour exploitation, rather than the most severe forms usually categorised as human trafficking, forced labour, and modern slavery (Davies, 2018;France, 2016). More subtle cases and 'grey areas' that fall in between the notions of 'decent work' and severe exploitation are neglected, yet these arguably merit attention, especially if working conditions deteriorate and encourage further exploitation to occur.…”

“…While there is no universally accepted definition of labour exploitation, 'severe exploitation' is typically understood as criminalised actions or processes, including human trafficking and forced labour (FRA, 2015) -increasingly referred to as modern slavery. Other forms of non-criminalised exploitation such as underpayment or unfair dismissal may be covered by regulatory or civil law -sometimes referred to as 'labour abuse' or routine exploitation (Davies, 2018;France, 2016). If taking a broader sociological or even a Marxist view, exploitation can be understood as occurring beyond the scope of criminal and civil law -in the absence of formal sanctions (Scott, 2017).…”

“Spotting the signs” of trafficking recruitment online: exploring the characteristics of advertisements targeted at migrant job-seekers

“…We selected as our source darbasuzsienyje.org (translation: workabroad.org), a major website that contained the most job advertisements overall and caters specifically to those seeking work abroad. 6 All posts on darbasuzsienyje.org come from recruitment agencies, which may be notable as outsourcing, sub-contracting and temporary or otherwise precarious employment contracts are all thought to increase the risk of exploitation and work-based harm (Davies 2018;Scott 2017;Cockbain et al 2019b).…”