While much commentary on the globalised world economy focuses on companies, what is often missed is that the companies, facilitated by governments, also use millions of migrant workers. Many migrant workers are forced into being ‘illegal’, making their exploitation easier. While the oil rich countries of West Asia are renowned for the terrible conditions that workers endure, there are many other examples. Hong Kong is another country with a long history of exploiting migrant workers, while Thailand and Malaysia both have regular crackdowns. Recently, the situation for migrant workers in Singapore burst into the public arena. The common thread in all these countries is the absence of independent unions. Unions all around the world need to do more to organise these super exploited workers.
While much commentary on the globalised world economy focuses on companies, what is often missed is that the companies, facilitated by governments, also use millions of migrant workers. Many migrant workers are forced into being ‘illegal’, making their exploitation easier. While the oil rich countries of West Asia are renowned for the terrible conditions that workers endure, there are many other examples. Hong Kong is another country with a long history of exploiting migrant workers, while Thailand and Malaysia both have regular crackdowns. Recently, the situation for migrant workers in Singapore burst into the public arena. The common thread in all these countries is the absence of independent unions. Unions all around the world need to do more to organise these super exploited workers.
