Demande directe (CEACR) - adoptée 2007, publiée 97ème session CIT (2008)

Domestic workers from abroad. Further to its earlier comments, the Committee has noted the detailed information concerning measures taken to reinforce protection of domestic workers coming from abroad, including the information on provisions concerning the immigration rules for private servants in diplomatic households and domestic workers in private households. It has also noted the Government’s indication in its 2005 report that the Immigration and Nationality Directorate has consulted extensively with Kalayaan, an NGO which campaigns for the rights of overseas domestic workers, with a view to ensuring that this category of worker is protected in the United Kingdom. The Committee hopes that the Government will continue to supply, in its future reports, information on further measures taken in this regard.

Women recruited abroad with false promises of work as nurses in the United Kingdom. In it earlier comments the Committee referred to the information contained in the report of the United Nations Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery on its twenty-sixth session (doc. E/CN.4/Sub.2/2001/30), according to which an increasing number of women were recruited abroad with false promises of work as nurses in the United Kingdom; this category of worker was particularly vulnerable to exploitation, especially in a situation where their passports and work permits were confiscated. The Government indicated that, in February 2003, Work Permits (UK) set up an “intelligence” team, which was designed to ensure that any information received about abuse of the work permit arrangements or of overseas workers is rigorously investigated and lawfully acted upon.

The Committee has noted the Government’s indications in its 2005 report concerning the organization and practical working of the Work Permit teams. It has noted, in particular, that the Work Permit teams handle all allegations of abuse relating to work permits, received from various sources, and may conduct further detailed investigations, which in some cases led to prosecutions relating to facilitation, forgery, deception, etc. The Committee hopes that the Government will provide, in its future reports, further information on the measures taken in this area, in consultation with the employers’ and workers’ organizations concerned.