Foreign workers in the labour market

The project focuses on the opening of a public debate and the resolution of the taboo topic of occupational safety of foreigners (job-related injuries, occupational diseases), as well as the reinforcement of equal rights for foreigners at the labour market, by developing international cooperation in this area via a thematic network.

Another aim is the improvement of structural tools leading towards better protection of foreign workers. The project finds inspiration abroad, with our partners in the United Kingdom and Germany, where they have experience with illegal employment of foreign workers, but they can also appreciate Czech input.

Therefore, Czech non-profit organisations have joined forces with foreign partners and they hope to create a functional thematic network. Via this network they would like to address and include key players and experts from the Czech Republic as well as other EU countries, in an effort to improve the condition of foreigners in the labour market. For this reason, a partnership has been created with the German Caritasverband für die Diezöse Osnabrück and the British Anti-Slavery International, respected organisations with ample experience concerning foreign employment and occupational safety of foreigners.

Occupational safety of foreigners is a relatively neglected topic in the Czech Republic; therefore it will be presented to the public through a specialised publication, case studies from fieldwork, an Internet platform, or a handbook for foreigners and helping professions. Public debates, international internships, seminars and international conferences will be just as important. The partnered organisations hope to create space suitable for social discussion of equal rights for foreigners. The results of this joint initiative of the non-profit sector will be made available to state administration, politicians, unions and other entities that can influence Czech legislation and migration policy. Another part of the project will be the promotion of foreigners’ individual rights in the labour market with the help of experience gain abroad. A special emphasis will be placed on female foreigners, who face conditions even worse than men.

Partners:

Association for Integration and Migration (coordinator of the project)
Organization for Aid to Refugees
Caritasverband für die Diezöse Osnabrück (Germany)
Anti-Slavery International (Great Britain)

Duration of the project: 10/2012 – 9/2014

This project is supported by the European Social Fund in the Czech Republic via the OP LZZ program.

Project outputs:

Round Table Summary: Foreign Employees – Second Class Workers?

27. 8. 14 Marie Jelínková

On 10 April 2014, a round table titled “Foreign Employees – Second Class Workers?” was held at the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Berlin with representatives of Germany and the Czech Republic discussing the issue of the changing types of employment of foreign workers in the two countries.

Labour MigrationGermany Czech Republicarticles

Outcomes of the research on the remittances to Ukraine. An Interview with Dušan Drbohlav

8. 8. 14 Lucie Trlifajová

One of the biggest contemporary Czech research projects concerning migration: "Migration and development – economic, social and socio-economic impacts of migration on the Czech Republic, as migration target country, and Ukraine, as migration source country (with a specific focus on the analysis of remittances)" has been carried out by the Geographic Migration Center – GEOMIGRACE team of the Fa...

Labour MigrationCzech Republicinterviews

Foreigners in Public Life - Participation or Integration?

30. 7. 14

In the following article Martin Rozumek and Lukáš Prskavec comment on the integration of foreigners in the Czech Republic and on the fact that although many of them have long-term residence in CR and have lived here for decades, they have no right to participate in political life. The authors point out that the inclusion of foreigners in the affairs and politics of the place where they live wou...

Labour MigrationCzech Republicarticles

Migration in the strategic agenda of the EU for the next five years

24. 7. 14

The European Council agreed on a set of conclusions, among them the strategic agenda of key priorities for the next five years, which includes a chapter "Freedom, security and justice" dealing with migration. Priorities in this area are based on an effort to increase institutional cooperation in the inner space of the European Union on the one hand and on superiority of the Union toward...

Migration and the EU Labour MigrationEUarticles

Statement by the Director of the Organisation for Aid to Refugees (OAR) on remarks made by Tomio Okamura, Member of the Chamber of Deputies, on immigration to the Czech Republic

14. 7. 14 Martin Rozumek

The following commentary by Martin Rozumek is a reaction to the xenophobic and populist remarks made by Deputy Okamura, who has declared, amongst other things, that “any welfare benefits should be claimed by the individual, if possible, in his home country” and that “a considerable proportion of the foreigners who have applied for citizenship are not required to prove their knowledge of the...

Labour MigrationCzech Republicarticles

The saving of public finances can go together with the sparing of the rights of foreigners.

9. 7. 14 Martin Rozumek

The commentary shows that behind frequently used expressions such as "the need to save" or "simplification of administration" the exact opposite meanings are hidden in the current state of migration policy in the Czech Republic. The absurdity and unnecessary complication of migration policy subsequently results in significant losses on the side of both the state and migrants ...

Labour MigrationCzech Republicarticles

Ethnic and religious minorities are discriminated against in the labour market, says this year's Shadow Report on racism in Europe

30. 6. 14

Brussels/Prague, 20 March 2014 — For Roma, Muslims, migrants from non-EU Member States and women of a minority or migrant background, discrimination constitutes a fundamental obstacle in their search for employment. The situation for many people with a migrant or minority background does not improve even when they find a job. This is confirmed by the Labour MigrationCzech Republic

Summary of a public debate: Illegal employment of foreign workers

16. 6. 14 Marie Jelínková, Eva Čech Valentová

On June 6, 2013 in the Training institute of Charita ČR, The Association for Integration and Migration in partnership with the Organization for Aid to Refugees and Multicultural Center Prague organized a public debate on the following topic: Illegal employment of foreign workers: Sanctions and evidence. In the debate, representatives of the authorities and non-governmental non-profit sector t...

Labour MigrationCzech Republicarticles

Employees Beyond Borders - Czech Republic

10. 6. 14 Marie Jelínková

Research results: Employment of foreigners – impact of the Employers Sanctions Directive in practice

Migration and the EU Labour Migrationresearch reports and studies

Summary of a public debate on the topic of: (Un)-safe work: From precarious work to forced crime.

26. 5. 14 Marie Jelínková

In the European House in Prague, on November 5th 2013, a debate was held that addressed various work safety issues and issues connected to foreign employees. In particular, from the viewpoints of the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom, the debate focused on where precarious work begins and ends, as well as on its detection and prosecution. Another debated topic was the prosecution of those who,...

Labour MigrationCzech Republicarticles