‘The sight of any authority sent waves of fear through me' – undocumented workers face issues with minimum wage and healthcare
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Imelda Morano spent 15 years as an undocumented worker in Dublin. During this time, she worked any job that would pay her in cash – a creche worker, a carer, cleaner and front desk at a laundry. She remembers working well over 40 hours for as little as €6 an hour and at times only got two days off in a month.
'I moved to Ireland from the Philippines in 2007. I was a single mum with a young son and at the time I was paying bills, paying for his education and supporting my own mum who had an illness,' she said.
'It was hard to make ends meet so when the opportunity came to move to Ireland, I took it.'
Ms Morano's sister already worked in Ireland as a nurse. Her plan was to find a job that would sponsor her during the three months she could legally remain in Ireland on a tourist visa.
'I got paid in cash, I knew it was below minimum wage, but I had no right to speak up as an undocumented worker. I was just happy to have a job at all, just happy to be here at all. They were taking a risk by allowing me to work at all. I didn't want them to be at risk either,' Ms Morano says.
'The sight of any authority sent waves of fear through me – even while riding the bus, when the inspectors would come in, I thought they were checking for passports.
'I was careful never to get sick. I couldn't really access healthcare and I was scared to go to the doctor because they would try and find me in the system. I couldn't make myself too visible to other people.'
Last year, the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) found 2,108 Irish employers in breach of employment law. The food service (821), followed by the wholesale and retail trade sector (485) had the most number of breaches.
The food service sector alone saw €453,172 in unpaid wages. Other sectors like hair and beauty, beverages and construction also saw a higher number of breaches.
A spokesperson from the WRC said that under the Employment Permit Acts, it is a criminal offence to employ a worker without either an Employment Permit or the appropriate permission issued by immigration services.
'Where non-compliance is detected and undocumented workers are encountered in the course of an inspection, the employer may be prosecuted for breaches of the act,' they said.
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'Employee details may also be referred to immigration services with a view to ensuring that the immigration status of the worker is regularised.'
Ms Morano was undocumented until 2022 when the regularisation scheme kicked in.
The scheme helped regularise people who had been undocumented in Ireland for at least four years at the start of the scheme.
She now works for an Irish charity that supports children with intellectual disabilities.
'I can't explain to anyone how much it has changed my life. It's just nice knowing that I belong in Ireland. I get to pay taxes now and contribute to this country that saved me. Before I simply lived and worked here, but now I feel visible, I exist,' she said.
'When I got my papers, I finally got to travel to the Philippines and see my mum and son after nearly 15 years. It was the most emotional day of my life.
'I got to be at my son's graduation. He's 29 now, he's a full-fledged dentist putting up his own clinic soon in our home town. He's proof that my hard work and sacrifice really paid off.'
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