Coronavirus: Migrant workers in UK and overseas face ‘disproportionate risk’ from Covid-19

Experts warn thousands of lives being endangered due to limited health care, poor working conditions and exploitative labour systems

More must be done to protect the health of “vulnerable” migrant workers in the UK and overseas who are disproportionately at risk of catching Covid-19, a number of human rights groups and construction associations have warned.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to sweep across the globe – having killed more than 20,000 people to date – concern has been raised among industry and safety experts that thousands of migrant lives are being endangered due to limited health care, poor working conditions and exploitative labour systems.

In the UK, the British Safety Council said migrant workers involved in the gig economy and other less regulated sectors were “vulnerable” to abusive and unsafe employment practices under the current environment, but have “fewer outlets” to seek help and keep themselves safe from coronavirus.

The Geneva Council for Rights and Liberties has meanwhile called for urgent action to protect migrants working in the Gulf countries from infection, while Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) has said these groups will likely find themselves pushed to the “sidelines” during the mounting crisis.

Writing to the World Health Organisation, the Geneva Council warned that migrants caught in cycles of abuse and exploitation in the United Arab Emirates were particularly at risk.

Under the kafala sponsorship labour system, which ties many migrants to their employers, workers are trapped in contracts that limit their access to health care, confine them to overcrowded accommodation and restrict their freedom of movement.

The Geneva Council said these “vulnerable” workers were more at risk from Covid-19 and “should not be treated differently to other groups", adding that "more needs to be done to protect them”.

“This will require urgent action to stop the ongoing work, especially when it takes place in overcrowded complexes where the infection is easily spread,” the organisation added.

Along with Tokyo 2020, which The Independent revealed had ignored requests to investigate mistreatment of workers, Expo 2020 Dubai has found itself scrutinised by human rights groups and construction unions in recent months.

With the event still set to take place in October, the preparation of facilities has “heavily” relied on migrant labour, the Geneva Council said, “but has not been called out for the poor practices and discriminatory treatment of migrant workers.”

The organisation urged the WHO to encourage the UAE to protect the health and safety of those individuals continuing to work on Expo 2020 Dubai and other projects, as the rest of country heads into lockdown due to the spread of coronavirus.

The Geneva Council also demanded improved monitoring and screening of workers moving between countries or between jobs.

“If workers are forced to move location, region or country for financial or health care reasons, this is likely to mitigate against global efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus,” the group said.

BWI, a global construction union, has said that even in countries such as the US, disparities in health care and labour systems meant migrant workers, who are disproportionately employed on zero-hours or short-term contracts that lack proper industry regulation, faced a greater risk of infection compared to their domestic counterparts.

“Many migrants are excluded from medical services or afraid to seek them,” BWI general secretary Ambet Yuson told The Independent. “In the United States, for example, there are many irregular workers who have no access to affordable health care and are reluctant to seek assistance. They are, in effect, on the side-lines; something that has become dangerous to everybody.

“We should also keep in mind that migrant workers are needed if we are to cope with the coronavirus. Many migrant workers are working in health care and other vital services. They may be affected by lockdowns and other measures. However, their living environments, if care and conditions are not adequate, may expose them to the virus.”

Lawrence Waterman OBE, chairman of the British Safety Council and former head of health and safety for the London Olympics, said migrants continuing to work in the UK gig economy during the coronavirus outbreak are likely to face similar issues.

“They certainly are more at risk, if you compare them to the whole working population,” he told The Independent. “If you start with the vulnerability at work, it’s not always as safe, secure and regulated. These workers may be expected to cut corners that means they may lack the right protective equipment or find themselves coming into contact with others.”

He added that migrant workers “are also more vulnerable to abusive employment practices as they’re not as familiar with the systems, while some don’t have settled status so don’t want to make complaints. Under the current environment, they probably have fewer outlets to help them.”

Meanwhile, the United Nations has launched a £1.5 billion global humanitarian response that will combat the spread of coronavirus in the world’s most vulnerable countries.

In cooperation with a number of support agencies, national governments and international NGOs, the UN is set to deliver essential medical equipment and supplies, install hand washing stations and establish humanitarian hubs in countries across the world.

The response plan is set to support refugees, children, exploited woman and migrants in countries already facing humanitarian crises. “We must come to the aid of the ultra-vulnerable – millions upon millions of people who are least able to protect themselves,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday.