Thursday, 16 June 2011

Behind closed doors: the plight of the UK's domestic workers

Anyone working legally in the UK, you'd be forgiven for assuming, must be protected by the same laws; all must share the right to be paid a fair minimum wage, all must be safe from being forced to work cripplingly long hours.

You'd be wrong. Among the army of women and girls who keep the nation's homes, families and, ultimately, its economy functioning by working as cleaners, nannies and cooks, are many who are not afforded such basic rights, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. In the worst cases, domestic workers have ended up being paid just a few hundred pounds a month for working more than 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

Read the full story at the Guardian

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