We support migrants and mobile workers in precarious work-life-situations in defending their labour and social rights through advice, education and raising awareness.

Our aim is to achieve equal treatment of all residents within the realms of the law through defending access to labour rights and social security, independent of origin and residency status.

We uncover and counteract structural problems by using our practical experience to inform public authorities, trade unions, research institutions, the press and politics.

Our services

BEMA offers individual information and advice, workshops and training, and expertise in professional forums on labour and social rights.

Advice

We provide advice to migrant workers in 13 different languages. We offer support during all stages of the migration process in the area of social and labour rights, as well as in other legal fields (residency law, free movement of workers in the EU, recognition of certificates and qualifications acquired outside Germany).

Based on our longstanding experience we explain possible courses of action to our clients, calculate outstanding payments, write letters on behalf of our clients to employers and authorities and follow up on complex cases over longer periods, as required.

We also offer specialised advice on questions concerning labour exploitation, forced labour and human trafficking, as well as on ALG II (Bürgergeld).

Professional Expertise

Through our public relations work we inform media, expert audiences and policymakers. We thus contribute to efforts to reduce structural and systemic discrimination and exploitation of migrant workers.

Training and Education

Our educational work focuses on strengthening workers’ rights in Germany. We go into German language classes, visit refugee accommodation and cooperate with community projects to organise trainings for migrant workers and refugees.

Moreover, we offer trainings for persons working with migrants and refugees such as social workers, language teachers, and employees of job placement services and public authorities. In our trainings we discuss working standards and labour rights, common forms of exploitation and opportunities for action in the respective field of the workshop participants.

Contact

Nicola Meyer
Department Head Migration and Decent Work Berlin
E-mail: meyer(at)berlin.arbeitundleben.de

Izabella Tasi
Project Assistant
Tel.: (030) 513 01 92 69
E-mail: tasi(at)berlin.arbeitundleben.de

Monika Fijarczyk
Team Lead Work Rights
Tel.: (030) 513 01 92 79
E-mail: fijarczyk(at)berlin.arbeitundleben.de

Fatma Erdem
Team Lead Social Rights
Tel.: (030) 513 01 92 80
E-mail: erdem(at)berlin.arbeitundleben.de

Anna Basten
Team Lead Training Programmes
Tel.: (030) 513 01 92 74
E-mail: basten(at)berlin.arbeitundleben.de

Alia Schwelling
Project Expert Forced Labour
E-mail: za(at)berlin.arbeitundleben.de

Anastasiia Maksymova
Team Lead Hidna Pratsya Berlin
Tel.: (030) 513 01 92 87
E-mail: maksymova(at)berlin.arbeitundleben.de