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Labour exploitation ranges from mild to more severe criminal forms of exploitation. It can include exploitative labour conditions, forced labour and trafficking for labour exploitation. As frontline staff, workplace inspectors are well placed to identify exploitation. A 2018 FRA report on protecting migrant workers shows that only some EU Member States clearly define in law what constitutes exploitative labour conditions. Only a few make detecting criminal forms of labour exploitation a key aim of workplace inspections in line with their obligations under EU and international law.
Workplace inspectors are encouraged to take the following measures to identify labour exploitation and refer victims to support by:
- undergoing training on the various types of crimes that involve labour exploitation and training on the relevant indicators to identify victims;
- using existing checklists to help identify victims of labour exploitation, such as the ILO indicators for labour exploitation;
- speaking directly to workers to identify signs of labour exploitation;
- mapping victim support services and specialist support services to whom victims may be referred;
- referring exploited workers, with their consent, to relevant organisations which provide victim support services and may be able to help them request temporary residence permits;
- cooperating with partners across borders, for example through concerted or joint inspections.