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TheJournal.ie will this week start looking at the problems which affect workers across a myriad of industries nationwide. It is our intention to highlight exploitation within sectors which traditionally are not well-represented by unions.
While Camila has been anonymised in the following piece, we have verified the credibility of her story and have been liaising with the Migrant Rights Centre of Ireland (MRCI) which has been personally working with her.
A BRAZILIAN AU pair has lifted the lid on how two years of her life were taken from her by unscrupulous employers who forced her to work 14 hour shifts for little pay and break the law.
Camila (not her real name), like many from South America, came to Ireland to learn English and took up a role as a childminder for a young girl shortly after she arrived.
For the first number of months, everything ran smoothly. Camila was paid on time and in full, she was given her allotted days off and she was treated with respect and was made to feel part of the family.
But as the months progressed, she found herself becoming ostracised by the family. More was expected from her. She had to act as a driver, despite not having a licence. She’d work more and more hours but for the same pay. However, it was one moment six months into her work that changed the complexion of her stay in Ireland.
“The money was down. I would get €140 a week and then I was down to €100. I asked why. I asked what was happening and the excuse never made much sense to me. I was worried and I was scared. I couldn’t say I was leaving because I had no money for a new place to stay and I would not get a reference,” Camila told TheJournal.ie.
“They said to me one day that I have to drive. I said I had no licence but they still want me to go. They said they had put me on the insurance but I don’t think they did. The garda pulled me over one day and said I wasn’t allowed drive. Then I told the family that and they said ‘we need you to drive. If they stop you again then say you didn’t understand them’.
“There were times I would be having the dinner with them and they would wait for me to leave to have dessert. That’s only small I know. But I realise now they were making me feel that I was different and should be treated differently.
They would hide the food they knew I liked and would say ‘that’s not for Camila. It’s for the family’. On my days off I would just go and maybe head to Stephen’s Green and drink coffee all day. I didn’t want to be in the house. I didn’t feel comfortable and when I was there on my days off, I’d be made to work.
During the summer months, Camila was expected to work more than 14 hours per day. Whenever the child woke up, which would usually be around 7.30am until she went to sleep (around 9pm), Camila would have to tend to her every need. But there was no more money to be had. Some weeks she worked full-time hours, she would receive even less than what she’d usually get. For the seventy hours a week she’d work, Camila would only receive €140 which works out at €2 an hour.
A life outside of the house was also non-existent. She could not afford to go out with friends or get into a relationship. She began withdrawing from the small circle of friends she did have. Mental health difficulties then developed and Camila got sick. A doctor’s visit was the start of her serious financial woes.
“I was very sick and I needed the doctor. I put everything on my Brazilian credit card because that was the only way I could pay. I couldn’t take a day off work as I’d lose pay. But then the interest started getting up and up and I couldn’t pay it off. I had to ring my mother in Brazil and tell her the money trouble I had. She was very upset.
All I needed was for the family to pay me the money I was supposed to be getting. There was so many things happening there that I made it worse. They got used to having me there and having me do everything. I felt like I had to do things I didn’t want to do to keep the job.
The Migrant Rights Centre of Ireland (MRCI) is dealing with Camila’s case and helped her leave the house, advising her on how to seek other employment. Now Camila works elsewhere and is delighted that she can stay in Ireland.
“I love it here. This is my home now and I really like Irish people. But everyone at the {MRCI} centre was so helpful and made things a lot easier for me. I’m a lot happier now but there were times where I thought I have to leave, I have to go.”
Responsibility
The MRCI has said the au pair industry is routinely abused by employers who do not know their responsibilities.
A spokeswoman for the centre told TheJournal.ie: “Childcare is work and au pairs are workers. This has been confirmed again and again by the Labour Court.
We’ve seen too many cases like Camila’s and worse – long hours and extremely low pay are rife.
“We’re calling on the government to ensure that Ireland’s employment laws are enforced, and to run a public information campaign to ensure that both employers and au pairs know their rights and responsibilities.
“Employers must pay au pairs at least minimum wage and comply with employment law generally – the Workplace Relations Commission has some good clear guidelines. These laws and protections exist for a reason; they’re not complicated, but they’re absolutely vital.”
The following is what au pairs are entitled to:
The Labour Relations Commission has echoed these sentiments and has said all domestic workers enjoy the same protection under Irish employment legislation as all other legally employed workers.
If you have been abused or mistreated at work and wish to get in touch, you can do so by emailing workersrights@thejournal.ie
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I worked for a barrister who’s wife was too lazy too rear their children. He tried to tell me I wasn’t entitled to holidays as I hadn’t worked a full year. He soon quieten his cough when I pointed out I had signed a contract which clearly stated I was entitled me to four weeks in that year.
My gf did au pairing before. Shockingly awful. Worked for very rich developer and wow talk about totally disfunctional. Found spy cam in her own room near dresser. Obviously to watch her undress. Unwanted sexual advances. Told her go to the guards but not willing to go down that road.
Only sc_m would treat another person like that. Hope they get sued to pieces
I worked as an au pair/ nanny in the USA back in the late 90s it wasn’t great money but I always felt appreciated and not taken advantage of. I came back to Dublin in 2001 and I started work as a nanny here. The difference here was unreal. I was expected to work nearly 14 hours a day. It was a nightmare. I ended up I hospital after a year as working as a nanny. This was after moving out so that I couldn’t be “on call ” while living there. It was a year of hell.
Name and shame. You can bet there’s some pretty little lady’s and gents who wouldn’t want to air their dirty laundry in public.
Friends of mine hired an au pair. Gave her a room, food, washed her clothes, cooked her meals on top of €180 p/w for 36 hours work over 5 days. She walked out of the job with no notice, leaving them in the lurch with no childcare. No complaints about the job, family or home. Just wanted to work in a restaurant. Sometimes au pairs can let families down too. This girl was getting €720 a month with no bills or rent.
She was one of the lucky ones who didn’t know she was on a good job. Your friends are in a minority. But they were unlucky that they got someone who was using the job as a gateway into the country.
Then your friends are breaking the law as much as the story above. 36 x 4 = 144 hours a month = 1316.60 so she was short changed. Hopefully you will report to the tax so this exploited young will get what she should have been paid. Kettle calling the pot black.
No worries John, I’ll just see if my friends will also ask this young woman for her monthly rent, shopping, laundry and contribution to household bills and utilities. It’d be a damn sight more than the differential you’re coming up with.
“report to the tax” ??
There’s no doubt at all that foreign and Irish workers are being exploited.Take a good look at the hotel industry . I’d say number 1 on the list.
@Gerry Fallon:@Gerry Fallon:
Horseracing industry…they expect u to work harder then race horses and pay u peanuts
The middle class are the prime exploiters of cheap home labour.
Having an au pair is de rigeuer these days in middle class circles. Mundane tasks such as child minding and cleaning are beneath their upwardly mobile pretensions. Of course they delude themselves that they are liberal, open minded and welcoming to migrants but the reality is they prey off these vulnerable people saving themselves tens of thousands of euros in the process which they can then invest in children’s education, expensive cars, foreign holidays and second homes as an investment.
Actually the middle class see themselves as perennial victims in economic terms. then sneer down their noses at the working class who clean their own houses and look after their own children.
Ethics and morality are not part of the lexicon of middle class language.
What a load of bollox.
Stereotype much
Ignore Emmet. He supports an organisation responsible for infanticide and pedophilia! The worst thing, is that he’ll blame you for what others did
@Brian Ó Dálaigh:
Middle class I presume?
Emmet – you need to make your mind up, for the last few days you have been defending the catholic children’s homes and laundries and at no stage did you question the exploitation or indeed the abuse of these women and children. Today you are lambasting the middle class for exploiting people, all rather hypocritical, especially as none were as middle class as the nuns and the clergy at the time of industrial schools and laundries in Ireland.
Of course the working class are minding their children and cleaning their houses – not like any of them are actually working.
@Paul Fahey:
My position on the homes inquiry is that a wider net should be cast to include state institutions, medical professionals, the legal profession and all those responsible for the appalling crimes.
Try reading my comments next time.
Thank you.
Emmet – you are very like Tom Burke, basically a slippery, snide, apologist for the church, its murderers, child rapists and abusers of women and children. Everyone has read your vile comments of the last few days, they largely mirror Tom Burke, odd that.
@Paul Fahey:
Just as I thought. Utterly delusional.
It’s sad to say but I have seen this over and over with Irish people and it makes me ashamed. Obviously these “employers” never had an au pair themselves growing up, and have no clue how to treat domestic staff. They are also conveniently forgetting that their children are their own responsibility. There needs to be an official Body making such “employers” accountable for their greed and cruelty.
@Keelinover: Au pairs should not be classed as part of the ‘domestic staff’ but should be classed as ‘part of the family’.
Name and shame the employer
@Steve Watson: trial by social media? Would be legal implications don’t you think?
In Reference to your first paragraph, I think you should start with the Dáil.
What sticks out with me is the attitude of the parents, firstly allowing someone without a licence driving your child. Secondly, having someone mind your child basically 24/7? There attitude and treatment of someone who is caring for what should be the most precious person in your life.
Parents like this should be reported to social work. Putting their child in danger in a car, and basically not seeing their child, no breakfast with parents, no bedtime story etc. kids like this watching their parents treat other people like this.
I know many people who have au pairs and treat them so well, and are even in contact years after they left
Not sure how it works but if you pay the au pair the minimum wage of €9.15 per hour yet they are living in your house and eating your food what deductions are you entitled to make for food, board and bills?
The whole advantage of the au pair I thought was having one person help raise your spawn in your own home for a decent chunk less than it might cost to creche said spawn?
@jimmy ireland you are entitled to deduct for board & lodgings. About €45.
While I agree to take advantage of vulnerable people in our society, this article is poorly written at best. IF the aim of it is to help them, an opportunity well missed..
Some au pairs are undoubtedly mistreated. Deal with their host family.
Theses changes will have a detrimental effect on people coming to the country for an experience and decent families willing to provide that.
I’m trying to remember a suitable and proportionate solution to an issue this lot has come up with…….
As soon as I read migrant council I knew this article was racist. Cultural Marxism at play .
@Jake Gundersonn: Care to elaborate?
Ok devil’s advocate: if an aupair works about a 30 hour week at minimum wage. 274.50. Where I live, average rent for a room in a house is 100. Average food (if she didn’t eat much) 30 euro. That’s 130 euro full room and board. The workplace relations commission has said 54 euro is full room and board. They say lodgings are 21 euro a week! That’s a fifth of what the current market is. So there’s a problem here. Even leaving aside all of the other benefits like access to a car/language lessons/speaking English daily/going on holidays with the family etc etc. At some point they would end up with nothing if all these extras were deducted. Of course there should be outlets for aupairs that are being exploited. Families should be banned from having another aupair if they do this and smack them hard with fines. But just simple maths says the pocket money they get (obviously depending on hours), is actually decent on balance.
Do not forget to apply taxes to the minimum wages as well
Interestingly where it once mentioned taxi and Nannies are not skills shortage are removed. How were they studying English and doing this? How are they still here? out of fear of deportation they run to the council?
The theory was , once upon a time was that while the children were in school the au pair studied English. Unfortunately this aspect has been.neglected.
There’s two things to consider; this person is minding your children & performing a job, just like anyone else. She’s more than entitled to minimum wage for that. However, she’s also staying in your house rent free & getting fed for nothing so there should be a deduction for that. An illustration of which could be applied on a very basic payslip & set out from the beginning on a contract. Instead they’re brought in & people pay them whatever’s left over at the end of the week. I know one family who got through 4 au pairs in a year & it was pure abuse on their part.
If you are in trouble. Call ‘Free Phone—116 006!
They should be dragged through every court named and shamed and pay back every cent plus sued for emotionless stress .
Can you get an au pair to mind a dog ? Genuine question.
YES ! Name and shame them and can we also have pictures of them as well so we know what these so called pillars of society look like and if they have any business we could also boycott. Because the only thing they respect is money certainly not people.
Have I touch a nerve with your first world problems red thinners
Friend of mine minds one toddler €5 / hour cash in hand she’s happy with the extra cash. It’s the going rate €8 for 2 kids school going age. Why would anybody pay €9 / hour and all the extra bills/hassles?
Grubby greedy catholic ireland ‘cherishes’ the young, the weak and the vulnerable. They go to mass, vote FG or FF and boast how great ‘little’ ireland is!!! Misogynistic hypocrites
We have had Aupair’s for 6 years. They have mornings, evenings and weekends off. They have free accommodation and all meals provided. They are allowed treat our home like their own. When the kids are on breaks and we are off our Aupair’s usually go home. We both work and require an Aupair that help us in the afternoons when we cannot be home. If we are suddenly required to pay minimum wage then we will have to start charging for rent, meals, utilities – all of the elements someone has to pay for anyway. I suspect our Aupair’s will be in a far worse situation financially. This if sensationalist reporting. There are undoubtedly situations where Aupair’s are being exploited and this needs to be be addressed but do not mark us all with the same brush
The other option is to pay minimum wage, apply all national taxes, allow parents to deduct costs for rent, food, use of facilities, etc. There will be far less than €120 left at the end of the week. But that will generate another story
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