morecambe bay cockle pickers

"There is a constant threat and risk of people being abused like this and dying because they're being forced to work in dangerous conditions," he added. BRITAIN: The bodies of some of the 23 Chinese cockle-pickers drowned at Morecambe Bay last February finally returned to their home villages last week. Morecambe Bay cockle-picker tragedy: Sisters jailed again An unusual artwork dedicated to a unique man that entertained people visiting Cambridge while raising money for charity. And so the debt grows, and grows, devouring the lives of those left behind. The creditors have taken over the dead couple's house, using it as a storeroom for their goods. ", The creditors have also suffered, she says. Chief executive Paul Broadbent said it was making progress to ensure "exploitation in all its forms was eradicated and people can work for a good honest wage and get paid that wage". There is a common misconception that donations to the cockle-pickers' families will go into the pockets of the "snakehead" gangsters who smuggled the victims into Britain. "The tragic deaths of twenty-three young Chinese cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay on the Lancashire coast have been attributed to the machinations of global capitalism. Read about our approach to external linking. As the GLA admits, the fines for exploitative employers have been too low to be a deterrent: if an employer makes an annual profit of 100,000 and pays a fine of 500 for breaking GLA rules, he may well carry on regardless. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. But it is near the creditors so they used to come knocking all the time. All the victims were the main breadwinners for their families. "Please help us. Li Hua was trafficked by 'snakeheads' from China via Moscow to the UK. A month or two after arriving, he was dead - the youngest of the Morecambe victims. [5][2] An extensive search and rescue operation was launched. Morecambe Bay cockle-picker tragedy: Sisters jailed again But he lost his life, and now Zhou has not only to look after their son and daughter, but also a sick brother-in-law. The death of 19 cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay has added to its reputation for being a deadly area for the unwary. Mr Hua agreed to be interviewed and talk about the disaster almost 10 years on. Chen says she has sold her wedding jewellery and persuaded the creditors to stop charging 10% interest. The Chinese cockle pickers died in 2004 when they were caught in the rising tide at Bolton-le-Sands near Morecambe, Lancashire. Read about our approach to external linking. No purchase necessary. The focus of the family's concern is on the youngest member. In fact, the snakeheads were paid off long before the accidents. An industry source has informed me of numerous cases of gangmaster abuse over the past decade, from the hospitality industry to food processing and agriculture, saying that little has been done to change the situation. Only 21 bodies were recovered. I wish you and my son health and safety. But the Japanese police were very good. Apart from the senior hovercraft commander, many of the crew on that particular night on the hovercraft hadn't seen bodies in the water before.". Morecambe tide faster than a man can run | The Scotsman I know it would influence them in a bad way. Oneupmanship does not come much more literal. But they drive her to distraction. It is as if they have fallen into a crevasse between justice and charity, from which there is no way out. One creditor, a cousin, has sued her in court, saying she must remarry to clear her debt. So why are the authorities unable to prevent this kind of situation arising? [3][4] The workers had been trafficked via containers into Liverpool, and were hired out through local criminal agents of international Chinese Triads. 96 minutes. Fifteen other labourers from the same group managed to return safely to shore.[2]. "He told us the water was up to his neck and asked us to pray for him," says his wife. It is not enough to live on, let alone pay interest. [2] The Chinese workers were unfamiliar with local geography, language, and custom. The 21 men and two women were aged between 18 and 45 and were. ", Yu went to Inner Mongolia for a few months to work. Video, On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, Met Gala 2023: Stars celebrate Karl Lagerfeld, Shooting suspect was deported four times - US media, Yellen warns US could run out of cash in a month, King Charles to wear golden robes for Coronation, HSBC says 1 bank buyout boosted profit by $1.5bn, More than 100 police hurt in French May Day protests. The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting vulnerable and exploited workers on the 15 th anniversary of the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster.. Twenty-three Chinese cockle pickers drowned after being trapped by incoming tides off the Lancashire coast on the evening of 5 February 2004, with a further 15 surviving. The remit of the GLA, Prof Craig said, should be extended to include industries including "construction, hospitality and leisure and social care". Migrants such as Dong take the fast route into the global workforce, while tens of millions of peasants take the slow road, by labouring in Chinese factories making products for western consumers. She breaks down again. If we're to learn the lessons of the Morecambe Bay tragedy, we need to invest in improving conditions. Local fisherman Harold Benson is still traumatised by the events of 5 February 2004. Ten years after the cockle pickers' tragedy, we are still focusing on the arrival of migrants, not their rights, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. [7] Four of the victims died after the truck they used to reach the cockling area became overwhelmed by water. Thanks to satellites and modern communications, the bad luck bounced across the globe almost instantly. In October 2013, it stopped monitoring some industries including forestry or apprenticeships and contract cleaning in the food industry when it should be expanding to include sectors with the worst working conditions. With China's economy racing along at double-digit pace and huge inflows of cash from overseas, this region has never had it so good. Please, Main image: Morecambe Bay. These lenders, many of whom are poor themselves, charge interest of about 10% a year. Gangmaster-controlled work is worth 1.34bn to the UK economy, but only 950 labour providers are licensed under the act. Twenty-one bodies were recovered within hours, a woman's skull was washed up six years on and one man has never been found. His mother, Shi Aizhu, took that call. ", The scars of Morecambe's cockling disaster, North Western Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority, AI chatbots 'may soon be more intelligent than us', Russia troop deaths hit 20,000 in five months - US, Palestinian hunger striker dies in Israel prison, The 17 most eye-catching looks at the Met Gala, 'My wife and six children joined Kenya starvation cult', On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. Most are of her wedding. "That was taken just days before he set off to Europe," she says, breaking into tears. She comes outside to see us off. The Morecambe Bay cockle pickers tragedy: a survivor's story. "Dad's only wish is that you study harder and harder and never act too proud. The young woman shrugs as she ushers her son into the bedroom next door. ITV received a Bafta for its coverage of the seven-month trial, which ended in march last year. Chinese cockle pickers who died in Morecambe Bay, northwest England in 2004. All she does all day is collect rubbish for recycling so we can get a little extra money," explains Chen. Apart from the senior hovercraft commander, many of the crew on that particular night on the hovercraft hadn't seen bodies in the water before.". I hope he is able to escape deep into the comic books he reads as his mother tells me of a disaster followed by a tragedy followed by years of hopelessness. In the Channel 4 documentary Benefits Street, viewers saw a group of Romanian workers who were owed wages by their gangmaster, who also held their passports. The sculpture can be easy to miss. "I was on my own And then a helicopter came," he said. Then she went upstairs and swallowed a bottle of rat poison. We were not warned about the tides, never once, Albanians caught in cannabis farm raid acquitted as trafficking victims, Snakehead gangs fuel organised crime in UK. It is the complications that unsettle him. Twenty-three of the group . Inside Out talks to Li Hua, the only cockle picker to be rescued alive from the Morecambe Bay cockling tragedy 10 years ago, "But the water was flooding so quickly some were dragged right away under the water.". It seems workers have little confidence in reporting abuse to the GLA: "They don't seem to do much with the intelligence," a source told me. Morecambe Bay cockling disaster - Wikipedia Research led by Durham University last year found evidence that the numbers of people trafficked for labour exploitation would soon exceed those brought to the country for sexual exploitation. BBC NEWS | England | Lancashire | Deadly sands of Morecambe Bay She is the stalwart of her family: a doughty, intelligent woman with the only skilled, white-collar job among all the people that we have been meeting. Morecambe's RNLI crew worked for 22 hours during the search and rescue operation. He cooks noodles for the family, helps his mother with the piecework, and trims his dreams to fit the new reality. Those who sent them to their deaths have not been punished as much as us." In Westminster, Mr Sheridan has tabled an early day motion to mark 10 years from the tragedy. A tribute to the Morecambe Bay Chinese cockle pickers and the talent of Christy Moore. Photograph: Jonathan Watts, Audio slideshow: Jonathan Watts visits the families of the cockle pickers who died at Morcambe Bay three years ago. The walls are cracked. VideoOn board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, I didnt think make-up was made for black girls, Why there is serious money in kitchen fumes. The children looked lost, disbelieving. Cockle Bay - YouTube Mr Gradwell claimed other similar disasters could still occur because people are willing to exploit the poorest in society for their own ends. Market reforms have produced stunning economic growth and many new millionaires, but they have also eroded access to healthcare and education for the poor. He said: "The water covered the wheel and the vehicle couldn't move. It was the only way they could pay for the treatment. Sinking water, sinking water.". See. The problem is the creditors. Video, On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, Met Gala 2023: Stars celebrate Karl Lagerfeld, Shooting suspect was deported four times - US media, Yellen warns US could run out of cash in a month, The 17 most eye-catching looks at the Met Gala, King Charles to wear golden robes for Coronation, HSBC says 1 bank buyout boosted profit by $1.5bn, More than 100 police hurt in French May Day protests. It is an impossible burden for a landless farmer who is too old to find work in a factory. "I was just numb..then, I don't know how, a wave maybe turned me round. Her brother and his wife were the only couple to die on the Lancashire sands, leaving their son an orphan. "I adopted him as my son, but I am worried about his future," sobs his aunt. She makes 500 yuan (33) a month doing piecework - hammering the soles of shoes into place on her kitchen table. Is climate change killing Australian wine? Languages. When he died it was such a loss. Just after the disaster, our relatives helped us a little bit, but they could not carry on supporting us indefinitely. The Fujian style of mourning is somewhere between a lament and an undulating, almost melodic wail of misery. The Morecambe Bay cockle pickers tragedy: a survivor's story Gentleman will know that on that night 10 years ago, the cockle pickers could just as easily have set off from the Furness end of Morecambe bay, had the tides been . Morecambe Bay Disaster (Aftermath) - Hansard - UK Parliament And Lena Chen - a Chinese woman living in Britain - sends a small amount of money before each spring festival. I can't sleep with worry." "My husband was good to me. The organisation was set up to protect vulnerable workers in the shell fish, agriculture, food and food packaging labour markets but MPs and academics are campaigning for it to be given more powers. Morecambe Bay cockling disaster survivor Li Hua said he thought he "might just as well wait to die" before the emergency helicopter's thermal imaging camera spotted he was alive in the sea, The victims, aged between 18 and 45, were working to send money back to their families, Jurors in the manslaughter trial were taken out on the sands in a hovercraft, Mick Gradwell, who led the police investigation, claimed other similar disasters could occur. Jeremy Clarkson Jokes About Dead Chinese Cockle-Pickers Yet, 10 years on, campaigners say workers are still being dangerously exploited in the UK. Nick Broomfield, who made the 2006 film Ghosts about the tragedy, set up the Morecambe Victims Fund with the Guardian journalist Hsiao-Hung Pai last August aimed at raising 500,000 for the victims' families. Others are furious and threaten to beat me. Ren was sentenced to 12 years for manslaughter, 6 years for facilitating illegal immigration (to be served concurrently with the manslaughter sentence), and 2 years for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice (to be served subsequent to the manslaughter sentence). The gang Li called them snakeheads demanded an initial cash payment (the equivalent back then of 10,000) and it was explained to him that he. Mon Nov 15 2004 - 00:00. Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale (David Morris) on securing this timely debate. "So it had a lasting effect on them," he added. [8] A further two cocklers were believed to have been with those drowned, with remains of one being found in 2010. ", Her sick brother-in-law says he feels like an extra burden. ", There has been a little charity for her and several other families, from the Fuqing Overseas Workers organisation. There is usually less risk than for a loan for college or business.". This crude architectural hierarchy marks Zhou Xiaomei out as a failure. That afternoon, she ate with her grandson during his lunch break. The smuggled Fujianese headed directly to the sources of wealth, including Europe. United Kingdom. [16][17], In 2010, artist Isaac Julien released his film Ten Thousand Waves about the disaster. Morecambe Bay is a large estuary in northwest England, just to the south of the Lake District National Park.It is the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the United Kingdom, covering a total area of 120 sq mi (310 km 2).In 1974, the second largest gas field in the UK was discovered 25 mi (40 km) west of Blackpool, with original reserves of over 7 trillion cubic feet (tcf) (200 . And there had been fierce cockle wars between local gangmasters from Scotland and Wales since eight years before It was just chaos and it became very difficult to work in thetrade.". Instead of immigration vans, raids and endless spot checks, we need resources to be redirected into penalising exploitative employers and protecting workers. And they were gone just like that. The area of Morecambe Bay where 21 cockle pickers died is seen in this illustration released by Lancashire Police Credit: Reuters. I thank him and the Minister for allowing me to speak briefly on this important matter. Li Hua was the only worker to be rescued on the night of 5 February, 2004.

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