Modern-day slavery

[Devil]

Please allow me to ramble a little around the outskirts of the subject.

Today, I saw a news item that a number of the best British schools had a heritage of slavery in the 1700s and 1800s. This included my own alma mater, George Watson's College in Edinburgh, from 1937 to 1948. A little research and I found that Mr Watson owned a slave ship that plied from Africa to America, a couple of centuries ago. Has that affected my education? I very much doubt it, probably because I didn't know the first thing about Mr Watson, other than his name and the fact that he was supposed to be the founder of my school. Yes, the school may have been founded with a little bit of dirty money, along with tens of other schools with a long heritage. Does it matter, today?
NOT IN THE LEAST!

Fast forward to 2023: today, in a way, I am a slave owner. Theoretically, the Punjabi girl who is supposed to look after me and clean the house is a slave. Yes, she lives more comfortably than she would have done 200 years ago and gets similar food to myself. In recompense, she gets more money than she would have done in the past, but she sends it all home to the Punjab. I just provide her with food and lodgings. In effect, I am doing exactly the same as George Watson did centuries ago on a slightly different scale. Does it matter, today?
YES IT DOES!
Yes it bothers me quite a deal but what can I do about it? Not very much, I fear because – despite the pittance of a salary – she and I are bound by the appropriate legislation. Physically, I could not possibly live on my own nor have I the means to employ a Cypriot housekeeper, much as I would like to.
IMPASSE!

[Dominic]

One word: choice. Lack of it equals slavery.

[jeba]

Why are you bound by legislation to pay her a pittance? What's stopping you to pay her more?

That aside, would it be any better if you were forced to go to a nursing home while she stayed in the Punjab? That's what the German Labour Court seems to think when it ruled that domestic workers/caregivers need to be payed minimum wage (currently €12) even for those times they only are on standby.

[Devil]

Why are you bound by legislation to pay her a pittance? What's stopping you to pay her more?

That aside, would it be any better if you were forced to go to a nursing home while she stayed in the Punjab? That's what the German Labour Court seems to think when it ruled that domestic workers/caregivers need to be payed minimum wage (currently €12) even for those times they only are on standby.

What's stopping me from paying her a pittance? I live off a state pension and couldn't give her more. As it is, I do pay her over the odds, in fact as much as I can afford. However, she does not profit from it as she sends it all home to India.

Please get it into your mind that this is not Germany – this is Cyprus. She recently took a month's leave for a trip home and I paid her and her social benefits for a normal month but I had to pay a replacement for that month as well plus her social benefits on top. As for the idea of a nursing home, you must be joking; have you any idea how much they charge? You won't get that on GESY.

[trevnhil]

We checked up around 7 years ago on what a Nursing home would cost for my wife's father. It was 1,600 a month then. I imagine it will be at least 2,000 euros a month now

[jeba]

Why are you bound by legislation to pay her a pittance? What's stopping you to pay her more?

That aside, would it be any better if you were forced to go to a nursing home while she stayed in the Punjab? That's what the German Labour Court seems to think when it ruled that domestic workers/caregivers need to be payed minimum wage (currently €12) even for those times they only are on standby.

What's stopping me from paying her a pittance? I live off a state pension and couldn't give her more.

I get that. However, my question was how legislation prevents you from paying more. That sounded as if there was a legal limit you're allowed to pay.

[Devil]

It is not legislation that prevents me from paying more; it is the magnitude of my state pensions.

[josef k]

Your relationship with your worker is that of employer and employee. She has a contract of employment, you pay her, and she can leave if she wants to.
A slave has no choices, would be owned by you as a possession, and definately would not be paid. The only way they could leave is if you sell them to someone else.

No, you are not a slave owner.

[jeba]

It is not legislation that prevents me from paying more; it is the magnitude of my state pensions.

So what did you mean by

she and I are bound by the appropriate legislation.

?

[Devil]

So what did you mean by

she and I are bound by the appropriate legislation.

?

Social insurance!

[WHL]

As already mentioned slaves back in the day were bought and sold, they were chained and beaten by their owners, transported all over the world , raped and worse, they had no choice, unfortunately modern day slavery still goes on in some third world country's were people are worked to near death to pay debts off etc, your worker is not a slave, she gets to live in most cases in comfortable houses, eat good food has time off and gets to help her family back home, in many cases this puts their children thru education and feeds the family etc , in country's like the Philippines their whole economy relies on migrant workers sending money home

[Dominic]

I read the other day about how a Black activist discovered that their ancestor was a slave owner. The article was presented as a big win for anti Black rights people. However, the reality was that the slave owner raped one of the slaves, so it wasn't the gotcha they thought. The opposite in fact.