( 25/01/2021 ), p p y g Wage theft: the missing middle in exploitation of migrant workers | openDemocracy Is there a case for shifting the focus of engagement to these more ‘mundane’ abuses against migrant workers? This article presents some of the key arguments for increasing attention to the denial of remuneration and bene ts to migrants under the rubric of ‘wage theft’. Wage exploitation is a key motivation for employing migrant workers Within a globalised economy, choices about where to source or manufacture products are frequently based on the availability of low-cost labour and a permissive environment for industry. As labour is typically the largest cost of outsourced production, multinational rms actively comparison shop to nd labour markets which o er the greatest reduction in worker wages. This creates enormous pressure on their upstream suppliers to constantly pursue lower labour costs, including through underpayment of migrant workers. In many labour-intensive industries, these market forces create business models which are only able to remain pro table due to various forms of wage theft. The recent unbridled enthusiasm for self-regulation through corporate social responsibility and sustainability initiatives has not been successful in eliminating these abuses. Instead, they have largely undercut demands for legally enforceable labour standards and marginalised the plight of migrant workers outside global supply chains. Only workers whose conditions are highlighted by their proximity to markets in the Global North are understood to deserve attention, and the power is placed in the hands of consumers and corporations to e ect change rather than workers themselves. Restrictive labour migration regimes create structural vulnerabilities to wage the The basic premise for admitting migrant workers to a destination country is typically to address a labour shortage in a particular sector or geographic region. If admission of migrants can hold down wages in these industries or areas, the economy is seen as bene tting from the increased supply of low-cost labour. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/beyond-trafficking-and-slavery/wage-theft-missing-middle-exploitation-migrant-workers/?utm_source=tw 3/12

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