Think Uber drivers have it bad? Take a look at au pairs | Rosie Cox

Low pay and lack of rights for these workers amounts to exploitation. The government should intervene

Welcome to the most unregulated labour market in Britain. Since 2008, au pairs have been specifically excluded from the legal definition of “worker” or “employee”: they have no right to the national minimum wage, they are not covered by health and safety regulations, there are no limits on their working hours and they have no legal right to holidays or any time off.

In theory an au pair is a young person, normally from another EU country, who will do 25 to 30 hours of childcare and housework in exchange for room, board and “pocket money” and is treated as a member of the family. In practice, the working and living conditions of au pairs often fall far outside these expectations. Rather than being young women on a fun gap year aboard, too often au pairs are a hidden, exploited group of low-paid migrant workers. When you add to this the dominance of unregulated online agencies and high rates of youth unemployment in many EU countries that au pairs come from, it’s easy to see how problems might arise.

Related: Au pair shortage sparks childcare crisis for families

Related: Caring for home and family is real work – and it deserves proper recognition | Judith Flanders

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from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2PPLUQL