Trade unions, church groups and migrant workers highlighted shortcomings of the work permit system, and the legal and practical difficulties facing foreign workers at a conference on migration in Dublin yesterday.
Fr Pat McNamara, who recently helped a group of Brazilian workers win a civil action against their abusive employer, said employers often placed workers in rented accommodation and those who wanted to leave the accommodation might lose their jobs too.
Fr McNamara said monitoring of migrant workers was needed: "When they get sick, whose problem is it to take them to hospital or a doctor? It's nobody's baby. It's a hit and a miss."
An African work permit-holder, Rebecca, said when she asked her employer for a pay rise, she was reminded that she should be grateful as he had "paid a fortune" for her work permit.
"Employers are taking responsibility that they are taking you in and you are bound to this particular employer and even if they are bullying you, you can't speak out and complain," she said.
An official from the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment said 40,000 work permits will have been issued this year by the end of this week. Of these, between 15,000 and 18,000 were renewals of existing permits, said Mr Michael Cunniffe. Work permit people can and do change jobs all the time, he said, at the rate of 70 per week in the earlier part of this year.
The conference was organised by the Government-advisory body, the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism and the Equality Authority.