Foreign Manpower Act

Foreign Manpower Act
Grand Assembly
Long title Act For the Guarantee of Loyalty of Foreign Manpower
Territorial extent	Aciria
Enacted	18 March, 1993
Introduced by	Maurio Valentile
Summary
Grants Acirian employers the right to seize passports of foreign workers during their contract to ensure the employee doesn't leave the country.

The Foreign Manpower Act is a controversial article passed by the Imperial Senate, finally signed into power on 18 March 1993 by Sebastiano I. The discussion of the act was started in the late 80s following the recent influx of foreign employees used for low-level labour such a construction amidst fears of the employees signing contracts and leaving. The act was presented to the Grand Assembly in August 1991, but the controversial nature of it caused it to be momentarily stuck in the People's Senate, but as it was eventually passed to the Imperial Senate, it was quickly approved and sent to the Emperor for approval.

The act became controversial both domestically and internationally due to the foreign workers that were now stranded in Aciria following the seizure of their passports, most notably effecting Daxian refugees that were assisted in coming to Aciria by the NGO Free Daxian Movement. On top of allowing the seizure of the passports of foreign workers, the Foreign Manpower Act also granted employers rights to surveillance of the employees, even during their time off work.

History

The Acirian NGO Free Daxian Movement was founded by Acirian entrepreneur and philanthropist Niccio Cattaglia in 1977 following his discovery of the General Association of Daxian Residents Abroad. Initially simply advocating for the free movement of Daxian citizens, Cattaglia funded the construction of their HQ in Ankae in 1982, followed by the purchase of offices in Jinju in 1984. Both the HQ in Ankae and the offices in Jinju were created in order to allow for the organization to begin operations in both Alshar and Zhijun to assist Daxian citizens leave the country without being subject to supervision by the General Association of Daxian Residents Abroad, more often than not bringing them to Aciria where they were assisted in either getting settled or move abroad.

HQ of the Free Daxian Movement in Ankae, Metzetta (building on the right).

While the trickle of Daxian was slow, the presence of Daxian in Aciria was noted by citizens and employers alike, especially due to the fact how the new Daxian migrants were able to be paid less than Acirian nationals. While employing Daxian in his construction company, businessman Maurio Valentile feared that the foreign workers would leave the country or the company due to lack of loyalty. He began advocating for the Foreign Manpower act in 1990, which eventually lead to its initial entry into the People's Senate in 1991, and its eventual signing into effect in 1993.

While the act was originally written due to Daxian migrants and to day affect mostly the ethnic Daxian in the country, every foreign national is subject to the Foreign Manpower Act if their employer decides so. The only exception to the act are Metzettan citizens, who have been granted the title of Honoured Guest of Aciria, which grants Metzettan citizens the same rights in the workplace as Acirian citizens.

Titles

Right to Seizure

An employee who hold the nationality of other than Acirian or lacks the title of Honoured Guest of Aciria grants the employer the right to seize their passport or other forms of identification in order to guarantee loyalty during the length of the contract.

Right to Surveillance

The employer of foreign nationals is authorized by both the Imperial Senate and the Emperor of Aciria to monitor the activities of foreign workers under contract by them, both during and out of work hours.

Promise of Housing

The employer who has seized the passports or other forms of identification from their foreign employees is expected to house their employees in an enviroment where rest, water and a bathroom are at an acceptable distance of their housing.

Promise of Repatriation

Once the aforementioned contract expires, the employer is expected to return the passport and/or other forms of identification back to the foreign employee.

Controversies

The Foreign Manpower Act has been subject to great controversy even domestically in Aciria, accusing the state of supporting slavery through the seizing of passports of foreign nationals. Despite the outrage, the act has not been subject to debate in the Imperial Senate over a potential expiry date of the act, even if the People's Senate has on multiple occasions discussed it.

Living Condition

While the Act guarantees housing for those who've had their passports and identification seized, many former victims of the Foreign Manpower Act have noted the squalor they've been forced to live in, detailing living in shipping containers with the bathroom and water promised by the act accessible only through a 24/7 convenience store 500 meters away from the container. The containers have been packed full of bunk-beds, with room only for the tenants to leave their bed and make their way out the containers.