Campaign aims to highlight the rights of migrant workers

A leaflet explaining the rights and entitlements to overtime, holidays and sick pay has been produced and will be handed out at the event.

Led by the Bermuda Industrial Union, Friday’s event will commemorate International Migrants Day.

A panel of experts, including Amnesty International chief Lucy Attride-Stirling, employment consultant Thad Hollis and union officials, was formed earlier this month to help spread the message on migrant workers’ rights.

Union organizer Louis Somner said there was growing concern about the mistreatment of foreign workers. And he said the organization wanted people to know their rights and know there were people out there who would help them.

Chris Furbert, President of the BIU, added: “Sometimes people take things for granted but when you put the information out there in front of them they cannot ignore it.

“We have workers in Bermuda that don’t know they are entitled to public holiday pay, that don’t know they are entitled to overtime pay.”

He said the Union and its partner organisations could only do so much and once the information was out there the migrant workers needed to make sure they came forward and stood up for their rights.

Thad Hollis, an employment consultant who works with Bermudian and foreign workers who feel they have been mistreated, said employers needed ‘educating’ as well.

He said most cases could be resolved without going to tribunal simply by reminding the employers of their legal obligations under the Employment Act.

“In a lot of cases we have been successful without having to go to tribunal. I’ve dealt with about ten cases in the past six months from nannies to vice presidents of companies.”

Mr. Furbert said there were firms out there that were trying to take advantage of foreigners who were not aware of the intricacies of employment law.

He said the union had been involved in one recent case where an employee had been contracted to work 50 hours a week at a flat rate. The Employment Act dictates that the maximum working week without overtime is 40 hours.

The BIU says it helped the employee win a severance package that included backpay for the public holidays he had worked over the past five years.

Mr Furbert said the public information campaign was the first step.

He added: “There is going to be more coming out of this. The committee is going to be putting together some recommendations to end this once and for all.”

Friday’s event from 12pm until 1.30pm will include speeches from Amnesty International, the Centre Against Abuse, the Filipino community as well as Government ministers Kim Wilson and Glenn Blakeney and opposition leader Kim Swan.

Migrant workers unsure of their rights or who feel they are being mistreated can contact any of the following:

Lucy Attride-Stirling, Amnesty International: 2963249

Rosana Vickers, Centre Against Abuse: 292-4366 or 297-8278

Richard Powell, Through Club 2000 or the Filipino Association

Thad Hollis, Emplyment Matters Consulting: 505-9972

Bermuda Industrial Union: 292-0044.