As the officers burst into Majid house on Devonshire Street North, frightened workers hid in boxes as others ran up to the roof where they were cornered by police. The men and women arrested on suspicion of working illegally were from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Their bosses are being questioned over the conditions in which their employees were working but have not been arrested.

A spokesperson from immigration campaigns group No Borders said: “It’s horrifying that these people, who are just trying to get by, should be treated like criminals, while the real crooks, the bosses who pay them a pittance, will most likely get off with just a fine.”

“It’s the government’s harsh immigration policies that force people to look for work illegally, which means it is often low paid and dangerous,” she added.

Jo Liddy of the UK Border Agency, quoted in Manchester Evening News, chose to ignore the plight of the workers and said: “Illegal working is unfair on honest employers and takes jobs away from those with the right to work.”

Employers who are caught illegally employing people often get away with little more than a slap on the wrist, sometimes returning to illegal practices shortly afterwards. For immigrants the consequences can be much more serious. They may face imprisonment and deportation, sometimes back to countries where their lives are at risk.

As the workers lack the requisite papers necessary for legal status, they are deprived of basic employment rights and are usually paid amounts far below the minimum wage without any form of recourse. Exploitation of this kind in Rusholme was exposed earlier this year by MULE.

TNS Knitwear, a producer for Primark, also based at Majid House, were found in January this year to be employing immigrants in poor conditions, for well under the minimum wage. TNS still works with Primark despite a BBC investigation purporting to show the continuation of such illegal practices.

 http://themule.info/article/immigrant-workers-arrested-in-factory-raid