Some foreign domestic workers in Bermuda are being paid a fraction of what they're owed because they don't speak English and can't read their contracts, according to campaigners.

Union officials are to push for new laws to protect exploited immigrant workers who are also grossly underpaid and made to work exceptionally long hours.

Human rights campaigner Lucy Attride-Stirling says she dealt with one domestic worker who was paid $600 a month — less than $3 an hour — even though she was contracted to earn nearly three times that amount.

"They told her that her salary was $600 a month. She was happy with that even though she was working six and a half days a week," Mrs Attride-Stirling told The Royal Gazette yesterday.

"But when we looked at the contract we saw that she was contracted to get $400 a week. She didn't understand because she couldn't speak English."

She described that woman, from South America, who worked in Bermuda for about 12 months until the beginning of last year, as an extreme example — but said hundreds of foreign domestic workers are currently working in very poor conditions.

Mrs Attride-Stirling is part of a new local Building Workers International (BWI) group, also involving Bermuda Industrial Union, aiming to make migrant workers aware of their rights.

She said the team will ask Government to consider introducing legislation to protect migrant workers.

"There should be some legislation that obligates the employer to let their employee know what their rights are," she said.

"We find many times domestic workers don't speak English and don't understand the terms of their contracts.

"They come because the jobs are advertised in their country of origin that there's an opportunity to make money, and conditions in their own country are so bad they think this is one way they can do better.

"They are still paid something that to them is a lot of money. But they still need to be made aware of their rights, and to make sure they are paid what they are supposed to be paid."

Lowly paid domestic workers on the Island come from Asia, particularly the Philippines and Thailand, and from Latin American countries like El Salvador, Peru, Ecuador and Brazil.

BIU chief organiser George Scott, who is also on the new committee, told a press conference yesterday that they earn very little money, often with multiple duties like washing cars, washing dogs, cleaning the house and looking after children.

Mr Scott said they are given no vacation time and sometimes have their passports taken away as soon as they land on the Island. Mrs Attride-Stirling said: "They do everything. They don't give them any time off — it's just appalling. You wouldn't believe these things happen in Bermuda, but it does."

She said even though migrants face the worst conditions, any new legislation would cover all workers, including Bermudians.

BWI is a worldwide organisation fighting for migrant workers' rights following a huge increase in global migration in recent years.

Over the next few weeks, the local BWI group will carry out an awareness campaign, culminating in a series of events on December 17.

BIU organiser Louis Somner, who is on the committee, said: "We are hoping to send a message that migrant workers have a right to complain.

"Even though they might not be members, they still may need our help."

Richenal Ilario, Caribbean representative of BWI, also spoke at the press conference, telling the media there are 37 million migrant workers in the region, many from Asia including China.

"Sooner or later we will all be affected by migration," he said.

"What should we do? Close the borders? That's not possible any more. So we have to have a policy. If we don't deal with this in the beginning, at the end we will deal with the consequences."

BIU president Chris Furbert told the press conference: "Contrary to what some people might think, we are not going to shut the Island down because we think migrant workers are treated wrongly. We encourage the new Minister of Labour to continue on the same path Minister Burch was on. He appeared to have employers on line trying to deal with this problem."