Preston Crown Court has found gangmaster Lin Liang Ren guilty of the deaths of the Chinese cockle pickers who were killed in Morecambe Bay, Lancashire over two years ago.

Lin Liang Ren was convicted of 21 counts of manslaughter and of facilitation -- helping people to breach immigration law. His girlfriend Zhao Xiao Qing and cousin Lin Mu Yong were also found guilty of facilitation.

The deaths on 5 February 2004, drew widespread attention to the realities of forced labour in the UK. Survivors told police they were forced to give gangmasters most of their wages for accommodation, food and transportation, leaving them only £1 per day for over nine hours of work. They were kept in appalling and over crowded conditions and were forced to work in all weather conditions.

A report by the TUC found that migrant workers in the UK are vulnerable to forced labour, regardless of their status. But despite new regulations, such as the Gangmaster Licensing Act, protection for many of these workers remains insufficient.

The UK Government has yet to sign the United Nations Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Their Families (1990). Implementation of the Convention would provide comprehensive protection for migrant workers and their families, regardless of their status.