The problem of unethical treatment of immigrants by the country’s indigenous people is quite acute in the modern world. In some companies, there is discrimination based on the level of wages or racial grounds. It may also be unethical to exploit labor, as there are cases when people who come to another country do not have the opportunity to find a job or register officially. In this regard, they have difficulties with obtaining health insurance and assistance, as well as with the purchase of suitable housing. This essay will analyze ethical issues towards immigrant workers in Spain and the further actions of the project manager based on the case study.
In this text, there is a problem of the unethical attitude of the organization’s management towards immigrant workers. The boss does not think about the safety and health of the workers, and he is only interested in the implementation of the project. In his opinion, there are enough employees who want to get this job. Probably, the manager does not appreciate immigrants since they are usually inexpensive labor.
On the other hand, his attitude may be dictated by an internal attitude towards workers: discrimination based on the level of earnings and position in society. This type of discrimination can make the work negative, which will lead to a low quality of work performed by employees. In this case, it may be appropriate to find a compromise solution that could suit both the employees and the manager and not delay the implementation of the project.
Another problem with the unethical attitude towards immigrants may be the actions of Carlos, as he, although unintentionally and with a different purpose, still restricts their freedom of choice. Carlos cares about the engineers, but his actions can lead to negative consequences in the dismissal of workers. The workers came from Ecuador to be able to earn money and feed their families. They realized that since they would be employed illegally, they would not get health insurance in the event of damage in the workplace. They were also aware that engineering and construction work carried a particular risk to their health. By his actions, Carlos can lead the situation because the workers will be fired and take less demanding ones, although the Ecuadorians themselves did not put forward any demands.
The operational standards of the country may dictate the unethical attitude of the manager to the health and safety of employees from Ecuador. There is a certain code of ethics that is valuable not only internally as a professional guide but also externally as a statement of the company’s values and commitments (Indeed Editorial Team, 2021). Since Spain has more loyal working conditions on a construction project, especially for unlicensed employees, the workers have some freedom of action. Moreover, as employees who are not officially registered, they are exempt from paying taxes, which allows them to earn more.
Carlos should not have approached the manager since the workers were hired on the terms announced to him earlier and accepted based on their own opinion. If he was worried about employees’ health, he could personally take action to ensure their safety. For example, more carefully monitor their operation and prevent damage. He could also prepare training material on this type of work and safety techniques so that the Ecuadorians could know at least the basics of the work they will have to do.
Carlos’ working group understood that they would have to follow the norms and standards of the host country concerning immigrants. They chose this country to live and work in, and they were aware that as illegal workers, they would be deprived of certain benefits of being indigenous or registered. Their goal was to earn money. They did not complain about working conditions and did their job. Carlos’ actions could have negative consequences, including the dismissal of employees.
In this situation, Carlos should have initially consulted with the workers about whether he should ask the manager for medical insurance and explain to them the risks of his appeal to the management. His own decision to ensure the workers’ work’s safety could lead to certain sanctions that could harm the financial well-being of the employees’ families. It was unethical for Carlos to make his own decision about talking to his boss.
To sum up, Carlos should have discussed with the workers his upcoming conversation with the supervisor. If they agreed to this conversation, he also had to tell them about the risks that could follow this conversation and make sure that the workers agree. In the event of their refusal, Carlos should independently ensure the safety of employees in the workplace by conducting a safety briefing concerning this type of work. He also needs to control the outcome, especially in dangerous moments.
Reference
Indeed editorial team. (2021). Professional code of ethics: Definition and examples. Indeed. Web.