Mr Pollitt’s Supply Chain Reaction (The Tablet, 30 August) reveals a major omission in the New Slavery Bill, namely “the multinational networks exploitation that put food on our plates and clothes on our back”.
Along with this major omission there are even other forms of slavery in the UK itself. In April 2012 this Government introduced legislation withdrawing basic rights from migrant domestic workers – they are now tied to their employer, who often withholds their passport, they are not paid their wages, they are beaten, locked in the house, deprived of sleep and food, liable to sexual abuse and harassment, they work anything up to 18 hours a day without time off and all of this without access to legal redress. In this situation the government itself is promoting a system of slavery. In 1998 migrant domestic workers were given substantial rights as workers by the then Labour Government, which gave them legal protection against the above abuses. Why are we trying to give "protections" to workers under a New Slavery Bill, when in fact they are victims of the unjust legislation introduced in 2012 by this Government. Also, tolerating the zero hour contracts tying workers to one employer or company where they only get paid for the hours the company needs them and having to be constantly available, they are deprived of seeking work elsewhere.
We are very good in this country looking after "victims" and rightly so, but not so good at investing workers with legitimate rights and we leave them open to all forms of exploitation and abuse.
Margaret Healy SSL, London N14
Aodh O’Halpin SSC, London NW3
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