Protecting the Rights of Immigrant Workers
The rights of all workers in a country should be protected regardless of racial or ethnic backgrounds. This works to create a conducive working environment that eventually yields productivity for both the employer and the employee. The fact that there are still questions of whether there should be more laws protecting the rights of the immigrant workers is an indication that the welfare of immigrants is not well catered for. Laws protecting the rights of immigrant workers should be established because immigrant’s workforce contributes substantially to a country’s economic progress, they sacrifice a lot socially, and they are humans too.
The collective efforts of immigrants in various industries that they work in contribute substantially to the economic progress of a county. Following immigrants getting children in foreign countries and more flowing from home countries, the immigrant workforce has significantly increased. Every day, an immigrant wakes up and heads to their respective place of work to fulfill their obligation faithfully. As much as they earn a living, which was their primary reason for working, their working environment, and laws of that particular country do not reflect on this individual’s will. According to an article in the Times Magazine (2010), foreign workers account for 9% of Italy’s annual GDP. This indicates that without the contribution of the foreign workers, the economy of a country like Italy would strain.
For immigrant workers to work efficiently in a new country, they have sacrificed a lot in terms of family relations. Working in a foreign country for an extended period, so time means staying away from the people one loves, and coping with a new, unfamiliar environment is not easy. Though they make money they anticipated to, maybe even supporting their families back home, the distance costs them more they earn. According to Manseau (2006), the social cost of their absence to the family is extremely high.
Immigrants are humans, just like the citizens of any country. Their welfare is very critical if their stay and contribution to the economic success of this foreign country are to be realized. If anything, all workers in a country ought to work in a conducive working environment, with a backup of laws that protect them from exploitation regardless of their nationality. This would create uniformity and exclude discriminatory laws. An excellent example of a country that has established such a working environment is New Zeeland, where migrant workers have the same rights as New Zeeland workers. According to an article in the New Zeeland immigration website, it is a crime for employers in New Zeeland to exploit immigrant workers, (“Migrant exploitation,” 2019).
Immigrants deserve protection from exploitation by employees. Apart from the fact that these foreign workers contribute significantly to a country’s economic success, they are also human beings whose wellness is critical to the quality of life they lead. Laws that protect the rights of immigrants will go a long way in ensuring that the immigrants are confident with their workplace safety, therefore high productivity. Protective laws will ensure that employers are respectful and fair to immigrants.