Case study: 'Thompson'

'Thompson' is a 53 year old man from Ecuador who has been working as a cleaner in London without legal papers since 2000. He left Ecuador in 1999 when the economy collapsed and there was massive unemployment.

I am a professional, a qualified veterinarian - that's my degree. But then, I worked in a bank for 14 years. In the 90s, things started to get very bad in Ecuador. In six years, five different presidents, which destabilised the country and the foreign investors stopped investing in Ecuador. There was massive unemployment after that. People were telling me: in England there is work. You can get somewhere.

I started cleaning at university in London with my wife. I have been cleaning that place for seven years. The sub-contractor company was one of the most corrupt companies that exists in the UK. They make people work for them for two months and don't pay them, then they turn around and say: "Sorry, your National Insurance number is not valid and I don't know where your money is".

All cleaning companies know that we are 'illegals' because that work is only done by us. There are no other people that would do that. The majority of people who do this are in the Latin American community and African, but people here are very scared to speak out because of their illegal status. Where I work and where many cleaners work, you can count on one hand the number of people who have papers.

I work six days a week, 14 hours a day and I'm making around £1,200 per month. I speak with my family in Ecuador on the phone every night, even if it's just for two minutes. That's my entertainment. I don't go to pubs, or clubs. The little money I have left, I invest in telephone calls.

I spend a lot of time thinking about getting caught by immigration, that's my nightmare. Our house was raided by police once when my wife was home - they searched the house and found my wife's passport and checked her out. She was deported. I haven't travelled by train in six years. Because outside of the train, there are often police. I always travel by bus and take lots of care. All of us in this situation, we have an extra pair of eyes. Immigration will not stop. Not even with capital punishment. While there is poverty, while there is oppression, immigration will never stop.

London is not where I want to settle and I am always thinking it is time to go back, but the big issue is I am nothing in Ecuador - a man of 52 has no possibility of work.

Posted on 15 May 2009