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Lessons from Oxfams Migrant Workers Project, 2006-2009
The Migrant Workers Project, funded by the Big Lottery Fund, has run for 3 years
from May 2006, and is due to finish in April 2009. The project sought to use innovative
approaches at three locations across the UK to increase knowledge of migrant issues
and reduce poverty levels among migrant workers. Oxfam decided to work with migrant
workers as these are a particularly vulnerable group of workers, often unaware of their
rights, with limited English and living in isolation.
Key findings
Working directly with migrant workers was resource intensive but was crucial to the
success of the project. Oxfam played a critical brokerage role between migrants and service
providers, and invested time in supporting migrant worker leaders in coming together to form
their own organisation.
Migrant workers are a very diverse group of people and in order to work with migrant
workers a wide range of different approaches was needed. The most successful aspects
of the project were where we were able to combine a number of these different approaches
in one geographic location.
Migrant workers were initially very uneasy about speaking to the media or policy
makers and did not want to share their experiences publicly for fear of losing their jobs.
A participatory peer research project developed their skills and confidence, and more importantly
enabled them to speak anonymously and on behalf of other migrant workers.
There is a significant demand for basic awareness training from public sector bodies and
few people are providing this. There was a very high take-up of the awareness training run by
Oxfam for service providers.
Private sector employers in the social care sector were willing to engage in work to support
good practice in the recruitment and employment of migrant workers. It was important to
focus interventions around issues of importance to employers such as staff recruitment and
retention, as well as those of interest to the project.
The project was able to engage in relevant policy issues, most notably around vulnerable
workers and employment law enforcement. We were most successful when working in
partnership with other organisations, and when we were able to involve migrant workers, for
example workers gave evidence to the TUCs Commission on Vulnerable Employment.
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Background What went well
The Migrant Workers Project focused on five key aims: and what we learnt
To support migrant workers to increase their Supporting migrant workers
knowledge of their rights, and the services
Direct work with migrant workers was one of the
available to them
most challenging and rewarding aspects of the
To support service providers to better target project. Migrant workers were unwilling to organise
their services for migrant workers at work for fear of losing their job and Oxfam therefore
worked with migrants in places where they felt safer
To work with the private sector to improve to meet. This meant considerable staff time was
their recruitment and employment practices required to reach out to migrant workers, often at
for migrant workers unsocial hours. Half way through the project we
therefore employed an extra project worker to
To enable migrant workers to share their stories
work more intensively with migrant worker leaders.
with the media
To work with policy makers to improve relevant Lessons on effective ways of engaging
policy based on inputs from migrant workers with migrant workers:
themselves
ESOL classes and ESOL teachers are an
In order to achieve these aims the project ran a important access route
wide range of activities including: Visit churches and make links with other faith
Rights based information workshops with groups communities, and visit social clubs attended
of migrant workers delivered by local service by migrants workers
providers. Also one to one advice sessions Use existing informal networks of migrant
and larger information events workers personal contacts
It is important to listen to the voice of migrant
Media training workshops with migrant workers,
workers and provide them with information and
including ESOL and presentation skills
services that they have identified themselves
Supporting migrant worker leaders and Meeting times work best at evening and
establishing a peer support group, Migrants weekends
Supporting Migrants
group
It is amazing being part of a Oxfam played as broker:
Oxfam is a registered charity in England and Wales No 202918 and Scotland SCO 039042.
Another employer has created a welcome pack which
is available to all new staff and others are now paying Policy work
staff out of pocket expenses to attend training sessions. Oxfam has been involved in the research and publication
One employer stated that: of important reports around migration policy, including
work with Kalayaan to produce the report The New
BME communities and migrant workers. carried out extensive research into the conditions of
vulnerable workers in the UK, to ensure that a migrant
workers perspective was heard.
Oxfam plans to continue its work with vulnerable workers. For more details contact:
Lucy Brill, England Programme Co-ordinator, UK Poverty, Oxfam GB. Oxfam Office,
494 Wilbraham Road, Chorlton, Manchester M21 9AS
Tel: 0161 860 2811 Fax: 0161 860 5600 e-mail: ukpoverty@oxfam.org.uk
www.oxfam.org.uk/uk
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