强迫劳动、契约奴役与不自由劳动——美国H-2A客工计划对工人权利的侵犯

Forced labor,Contractual Slavery and Unfree Labor——Violations of Workers’Rights in H-2A Agricultural Guest Worker Program

H-2A农业客工计划是美国政府推动出台的一项制度,旨在通过允许本国农业雇主与外国工人签订短期合同来解决美国国内农业劳动力短缺的问题。H-2A客工现已成为美国农业劳动力的重要组成部分,然而,在H-2A农业客工计划实际运作中,工人的基本权利遭到各种侵害。客工计划中的工人没有更换雇主的权利,他们的行动自由受到严格限制,工资极低且遭到克扣,同时遭受着雇主的各种虐待以及强迫劳动。H-2A农业客工计划虽尚未构成契约奴役或系统性强迫劳动,却是一种极不自由的劳动形式。客工深陷于这种极不自由的劳动关系中,且缺乏基本的救济途径。为从根本上解决此问题,美国政府应尽快废弃农业客工计划或对客工计划进行全面改革,赋予外国工人更换雇主的权利,取消黑名单制度,并给予外国工人以平等的法律保护。

H-2A Agricultural Guest Worker Program is a system promoted by the U.S.government,which is designed to address the shortage of agricultural labor in the United States by allowing its domestic agricultural employers to sign short-term contracts with foreign workers.Up to now,H-2A guest workers have become an important part of the U.S.agricultural workforce.However,in the actual operation of H-2A Agricultural Guest Worker Program,the basic rights of the workers have suff ered from various infringements.Workers in the Program do not have the right to change employers,their freedom of action is severely restricted,their wages are extremely low and skimped on,and they are subjected to various abuses and forced labor by employers.As a result,the Program does not constitute contractual slavery or systematic forced labor,but it is a highly illiberal form of labor.The guest workers are trapped in this extremely illiberal labor relationship and lack of basic relief channels.In order to solve this problem at its root,the U.S.government shall abolish the Program as soon as possible or carry out a comprehensive reform of it,entitle foreign workers to change employers,cancel the blacklist system,and provide foreign workers with equal legal protection.