Labour Standards: Unions from Italy, Moldova and Ukraine sign cooperation agreements

Press release | 16 May 2013
CHISENAU (ACTRAV INFO)-Italian trade union organizations (CGIL, CISL, UIL) and their counterparts from Moldova and Ukraine signed key cooperation agreements today in Chisenau. Italy is one of the major countries of destination for migrant workers from Moldova and Ukraine.

The agreements commit signatory organization to promote and protect the right of migrant workers in line with UN and ILO Conventions. While Italy has ratified ILO Conventions Nos.97, 143 (on Migrant workers) and 189 on Domestic Workers, Moldova is party to Convention No.97 and Ukraine has yet to ratify all three conventions. Promotion of the ratification and full observance and implementation of these instruments is central to the agreements. Italian trade union representatives made clear that “the agreements implementation will cover protection for migrant workers regardless of their status, as they relate to basic human and labour rights".

The agreements are based on a model cooperation agreement developed by the ILO Bureau for Workers' Activities. The signing of the agreement was the culminating point of and concluded a two-day workshop organized in the Moldovan capital Chisenau by the ILO as part of an European Union-sponsored regional project on "Effective Governance of Labour Migration" implemented by the ILO in partnership with the International organization for Migration (IOM).

Russian trade union representatives participating in the workers announced their intention to follow suit and engage in developing similar agreements with trade unions in Moldova and Ukraine.