As US
policymakers slog towards a possible reform to the US immigration system, talk
of a temporary work program hangs in the air.
Temporary labor programs have a long history in modern immigration
regimes in both the developed and developing world. However, at least in the US and Europe these
programs have often resulted in less-than-desirable outcomes. Some of the more well-known are the Bracero
Program in the US during the 1940s and 50s as well as the wave of temporary
worker programs that swept Europe during the 1970s. These programs can be seen as less-than-desirable
because they led to wide spread abuse of immigrants as well as a spike in undocumented
populations and social polarization around the issue of immigration. However, the interest in temporary labor programs
has not disappeared.
From a policy
standpoint these temporary programs are ideal for spurring economic growth and
filling gaps in the domestic labor markets.
At the same time allowing working people only temporary access generally
curbs the potential impact on social welfare programs geared to the very young
and very old. Thus, policymakers in
democratic countries are logically drawn to such programs because they appear
to offer a politically safe compromise between business interests and domestic
social groups. Since the early days of
these programs, governments have become more effective at tracking people and
thus limiting the increase of undocumented immigration as temporary workers
overstay. It seems that hope springs
eternal for these types of programs, especially in the developed world. Whether or not temporary labor programs
actually achieve any of these goals is a topic for scholarly debate. In fact, some have indicated that temporary
labor programs have much more insidious effects on society (but that debate is
for another day).
Setting aside
the macro economic and social policy debate, one of the major flaws in
temporary labor programs is that they generally fail the immigrants
themselves. This failure is a structural
consequence inevitable from the beginning of any such program. By conceiving of immigrants as a source of
labor, policy makers begin conceptualizing immigrants not as people, but as
inputs into an economic equation. There
is little in the way of a democratic backstops to check this type of
objectification thinking. While elected
officials have strong political incentives to ensure that temporary programs do
not spur illegal overstay, there is no incentive to ensure that temporary
programs are treating immigrants (read: non-voters) well. Thus the stage is set for abuse.
Another
structural element that necessarily leads to abuse of temporary immigrants is the
economic drive for instituting the programs in the first place. A temporary immigrant labor program is
designed to save costs on labor. Simply
put, domestic labor is too expensive to entice into taking the jobs offered at
the salaries they are offered at. By
starting out with cost savings as the motor of these labor programs it is not a
stretch to see abuses stemming from this same logic. Poor working and housing conditions, long
hours and underpayment are among the most common problems. Because temporary workers lack any political
voice, there are few incentives to stop this type of abuse.
The extent of
the problem recently came to light involving a scandal at an Amazon.com
warehouse in Bad Hersfeld in Germany. A
documentary film exposed harassment and poor conditions for temporary workers
brought in from Poland and Spain to work during the Christmas rush. This is a surprising story for two
reasons: First it involves a business
and industry with a high profile. Often
temporary immigrant workers are in agriculture or domestic service where they
are largely hidden from the mainstream consciousness of society. Second, this scandal involved workers from
countries with special rights in Germany.
Both Poland and Spain are members of the Schengen agreement and Spain is
a member of the European Union. These agreements
entitle citizens of these countries political rights in Germany, far and above
the situation of most temporary workers.
Despite better access to the system, these workers found themselves in
an abusive and exploitative situation.
The take-away
from this recent scandal is that even in highly developed countries with
pro-active immigrant protection and integration programs (such as Germany),
temporary immigrant labor lends itself to abuse. When policy-makers are considering
implementing such programs political and human rights protections must be built
in specifically, because temporary immigrant workers lack the ability to
protect themselves. The Amazon case
grabbed news headlines because it involved a popular, 21-century firm and took
place in Europe and between Europeans. The
simple fact is that most of the abuses of temporary immigrant labor occur
without media attention and involve even more politically vulnerable
groups. Thus, while temporary
immigration policies appear attractive to elected leaders, they must be
carefully crafted and thoroughly scrutinized.
