What bothers migrant workers the most? Unpaid wages, reveals unique research on Ukrainian workers with Polish visa

About the project

The labour markets in the V4 countries (Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary) have experienced a significant increase in labour migration from Ukraine, as well as from other European states. While labour mobility reaches transnational aspects, relevant stakeholders (labour inspectorates, NGOs, trade unions usually) work mostly at the national levels. This has been especially concerning as research and experience of non-governmental organisations assisting migrant workers consistently point to frequent incidents of labour rights violations of transnational scope. In this context, our project aimed at strengthening cooperation and experience sharing among labour inspections, NGOs and other actors providing assistance to migrant workers to strengthen protection and enforcement of labour rights.

Publications

The main output of the research are five country reports giving an insights into patterns of labour migration and rights violations of migrant workers in the V4 countries with a focus on Ukraine as a sending country. Publications contain background information on labour migration, annual trends, up-to-date information on labour rights violations and intermediary practices. The authors also suggest possible remedies. Reports are unique as they combine primary and secondary sources, quantitative and qualitative data, expert interviews and witness-worker interviews. Moreover, each text reflects the current trends in migration patterns of Ukrainian workers in respective countries (e.g. usage of a Polish visas in the Czech context).

Czech Republic
1) Employment of Ukrainian Workers with Polish Visas in the Czech Republic: From the Main Patterns of Labour Exploitation towards Points of Intervention

Hungary
2) Ukrainian Temporary agency workers in the electronics sector

Poland
3) Working in Poland: violations of the labour rights of Ukrainian migrants in the construction and services sectors

Slovakia
4) Victims of labour exploitation or “illegal” migrants? Ukrainian workers’ labour rights protection in Slovakia

Ukraine
5) Is transnational labour rights protection possible? Sending country's perspective: Ukrainian Country Report

The project consortium includes Multicultural Center Prague (Czech Republic), Fundacja "Nasz Wybór" (Poland), Centrum pre výskum etnicity a kultúry (Slovakia), Anblokk Kultúra- és Társadalomtudományi Egyesület (Hungary) and Charitable Foundation "Zaporuka" (Ukraine).

All publications have been produced as part of the “Towards Stronger Transnational Labour Enforcement Cooperation on Labour Migration” (STRONGLAB) project, financed by the International Visegrad Fund and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Responsibility of ideas or opinions expressed in this publication lies with the authors of the publication. The International Visegrad Fund is not responsible for those ideas or opinions nor for any use that may be made of them.