On 26 April, the Palme Centre arranged the conference about the growing group of migrant workers. Many people are living under very difficult conditions and are being exploited by unscrupulous employers. There are also many migrant workers in Sweden, particularly in agriculture. Kommunal reports that they often have difficulty getting fair wages.
The following are interviews with those who took part as speakers at the Conference.
"More migrants than ever before ”
“The number of migrants in the world is increasing, but refugees are diminishing in number.” So says Lisa Pelling from the University of Vienna.
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“More migrants coming to Great Britain - but wages are unaffected.”
“The expansion of the EU is one reason more people are trying to come and work in Great Britain. But the increase in migrant workers has not led to wages being forced downwards.” So says Laura Chapell, investigator at the British think-tank, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).
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"We succeeded in organising the cleaners in Los Angeles.”
The American trade union SEIU has become famous for the successful cleaners a unionisation of cleaners and migrant workers in Los Angeles. One of the union organisers is Triana Silton. She describes the Union’s strategies.
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“Migrant workers are at the mercy of international crime syndicates.”
Many migrant workers are being exploited by criminal networks and are completely at the mercy of gangmasters.
An account from Giulia Lagano, an expert in migrant worker issues at Solidar.
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“Migrants in Sweden had to live on a former mink farm.”
“Lotta from Poland picks lettuces in Sweden from seven in the morning till nine in the evening. The story is not an unusual one,” says Sofia Berglund from Kommunal.
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"The Union must keep on its toes or we’ll lose confidence."
“The increase in migrant and seasonal workers from other countries means we are risking a division into first and second class crews on the labour market. We have to stop this,” says Karin Näsmark, a member of Kommunal’s board.
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"Many are living like slaves.”
“Many migrant workers are living under disgusting conditions. Conditions in Sweden may be poor, but that is nothing compared to those in southern Europe,” says George Joseph, head of refugee and migration issues in the Catholic Diocese of Stockholm.
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The project - supported by the EU - is coordinated by: SOLIDAR (www.solidar.org)
Progetto Sviluppo (Italy - www.cgil.it/prosvil)
Olof Palme Center (Sweden - www.palmecenter.org)
War on Want (UK - www.waronwant.org).
Other organisations involved are: ISCOS (Italy), One World Action (UK), the Johannes Mickelson Center (Estonia), and four Global Network (www.theglobalnetwork.net) partners - Plades (Peru), Learn (The Philippines), SEWA (India), and LRS (South Africa).
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This seminar was organized with the financial support of the European Union.
Reference Number of the Grant Contract: ONG-ED/2004/097-517-167
Title of the Action: JOBS JOBS JOBS - "Decent work" for all, the key to eradicating poverty"