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The Exploitation of Migrant Domestic Workers in the UK
Interview by Ayanna Egbarin
Over 16,000 migrant domestic workers currently live in the UK, supporting families with running their households and looking after children more than they are able to look after their own back in their home countries. A mother of five, Nerisa became a migrant domestic worker abroad to fund and support her family living in the Philippines. After coming to the UK in 2006, Nerisa has been exploited by employers with poor wages and working conditions that have had serious impacts on her physical and mental health. Now the Board Chair and Trustee of a non-profit, The Voice of Domestic Workers, she is one of few migrant domestic workers who have been able to fight for their own rights and salvage her story. For many others, they are still stuck in this system of modern day slavery which is happening closer to home than we realise.
How would you describe your life as a migrant domestic worker?
This is a sacrifice I make working abroad where the culture and government are very different from my home country, the Philippines. I am making big sacrifices because I have a goal to fulfil for my family, especially for my five children. I want to give them a better education and a better life to experience things that they have never experienced before. Domestic work is hard work and I have had a lot of bad experiences but these have never stopped me from pushing and ultimately achieving my dreams of supporting my children.
I initially came to the UK, worked for one employer in the first year then switched to another. My first employer never let me get my National Insurance Number (NIN) and Tax Number. Even when I wasn’t feeling well, I never went to the hospital. My second employers were a Canadian couple, the man was a banker and the lady was a therapist. My contract established that I would have 1 day/week of rest and a salary of £250/week, including holiday pay. Really, I worked from 5:30 am - 8:30 pm, 7 days a week with no days of rest. I was not given food to eat and it soon felt like I had not eaten in 7 months. I only had water to quench my hunger.
My health eventually broke down and I became very ill and was hospitalized for two weeks. I was in the isolation room for 5 days. I wasn’t allowed any visits whilst I was in the isolation room.I thought I was going to die and I cried all of the time. I didn’t have a NIN, my employer never paid my taxes and I had to pay my own medical bill of £5,000. During those weeks, my employers never bothered to even call.
I texted them from the hospital to let them know I was going to resign from the job. When I came back to their house, all of my belongings were in a bin bag outside. They did not care for me at all. When I was in the isolation room, they didn’t check on me. I felt horrible, abandoned and rejected. I carefully, loyally, and lovingly looked after their three small children.
After this happened to me, I realized I needed to fight for my rights as a human being. I too am entitled to be loved, to be protected and most especially to be respected. As a domestic worker, I have the right to rest and be fed.
What steps did you take to start advocating for yourself and other migrant domestic workers?
Luckily for me, I was able to find a new employer who was very good to me. On the second day of my employment, she let me apply for my NIN and Tax . I worked for a few good employers since then and by 2015, I stayed with a family who I’ve been working with until now. I was able to renew my visa status over the years and applied for my British Citizenship back in 2016.
In that same year, I met people from Justice for Domestic Workers which is now an organisation called, The Voice of Domestic Workers. Through their work, I have been able to travel, join campaigns and conferences for initiatives like International Migrant Workers Day in Parliament. This is not just my passion but an important advocacy work to support fellow domestic workers. The work that I am doing now is a positive step forward that will be able to change their poor working conditions here in the UK.
Can you tell us more about this organisation and what is available through the organisation?
The Voice of Domestic Workers is an educational campaign group which works in partnership with other civil society organisations, to raise awareness of the needs and rights of Britain’s 16,000 migrant domestic workers. We provide awareness raising and community activities for domestic workers and rescue some of those from abusive employers. Our work seeks to end discrimination and protect migrant domestic workers living in the UK by providing education, training, health care and legal advice. Where we can, we help workers find new forms of employment or even return back home to their families. There are also creative projects like films where our members can share their stories. Our vision is a society where domestic workers have the freedom to live, work and become part of their communities.
Our members are extremely vulnerable to abuse and based on evidence, it’s more likely to happen to workers living at their employer’s home. Some do not have their own room and do not have enough to eat, there are those who have been beaten and worse, sexually abused. Domestic Workers are repeatedly abused because of the absence of their rights to renew their visa, which in this case is the overseas domestic worker visa’’. UK Government scrapped all the rights of Domestic Workers in 2012 which immediately tied domestic workers into a system of modern day slavery. This 6 months tied visa system increased the power of employers to exploit domestic workers because they couldn’t renew their visas and therefore they all become undocumented. VODW campaign to reinstate their rights to change employers, right to renew a visa, right to settlement and right to British Citizenship. Currently, we have an on-going petition to reinstate the pre-2012 Overseas Domestic Worker Visa. I hope people will support our advocacy and campaign that will end the slavery of migrant domestic workers and that will truly recognised as workers. I am the living evidence that slavery could end. I managed to rebuild my life because I have rights.
Has Covid made migrant domestic workers more vulnerable?
Since Covid, we are sourcing donations for workers who have lost their jobs. Currently, we are supporting 80 members with food donations and money to pay their rent. There were a lot who had been suspended from their work or kicked out from their homes, who are now jobless. Many of them have not been allowed to go back to their countries so they have to stay in the UK with no income.
At my current employer’s house, work is harder. The family are all in the house, all day. It’s difficult to take a rest or nap and if I do, it’s much shorter than before. You have to repeat some tasks or delay doing tasks because people are in a room. Instead of getting up early for school, the children get up a little later and so I have to wait until they are out of their rooms before I can do anything.
I am very grateful to my employer though because she is helpful. She cooks for us, never makes us miss a meal and always sees that we have food on time. She supports my work with the Voice of Migrant Domestic Workers, she wants to know what we are doing, what the progress and updates are.
What impact has leaving your country and family had on you?
Most Philippinos work abroad. It’s not because we don’t have any work in the Philippines, but unemployment is high and we see bigger opportunities abroad.
It is very difficult to be away from your family, especially in these Covid times. I cannot protect or look after my children because I can’t fly back to the Philippines.
Domestic work is hard work. It’s a sacrifice, a burden and an ability to be understanding, patient, loyal, respectful, honest and loving. It is also about having integrity and dignity. Being a mother away from home is very difficult. But no matter how many times you fall, always make sure to get up. To my fellow domestic workers, I know that the journey will be painful but please do not give up. Things will be better and a successful ending will come. Every successful person has a painful story and every painful story will find its successful ending.