Unionised workforces cannot be enslaved. This is because of the simple fact that a unionised workforce is harder to exploit by even the most unscrupulous employers. But that self-evident truth is one that many who profess themselves concerned with the struggle against forced labour frequently overlook. There seems a desire amongst some sections of society…
The draft Modern Slavery Bill published on 16 December 2013 is a peculiar beast. As published it takes a criminal justice perspective on contemporary slavery, bringing together the scattered law from across the statute books and increasing sentences for those convicted of using forced labour. Both these are useful, if modest, measures. But that is…
The recent revelations that in 2013 at least 185 Nepalese workers were killed in the service of Qatar’s preparations for the 2022 World Cup confirmed that manslaughter in addition to slavery is already a fundamental feature of those preparations. The figures revealed in the Guardian corroborated the warnings from the International Trades Union Confederation (ITUC)…