UN General Assembly - Side Event

Making decent work a reality for migrant workers

At the UN General Assembly in New York, the ILO and Sweden hosted an event to share innovative practices related to labour migration governance, inclusiveness in dialogue on migration policy.

News | 30 September 2013
In collaboration with the Government of Sweden, the International Labour Organization (ILO) hosted a roundtable discussion on 26 September with experts from around the world to share innovative practices related to labour migration governance, inclusiveness in dialogue on migration policy with a focus on migrant workers as agents of change for development.

©ILO Photo/M. Crozet

The event was developed to contribute to wider discussions of the Second UN General Assembly High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development which will be held during the 68th Session of the UN General Assembly.

In his presentation, the ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder, stated that “the search for decent work is central to all international migration” and that the international community should be “empowering migrants to contribute positively toward sustainable, equitable and inclusive development.” In the migration debate, he highlighted the ILO’s unique position, given its normative role in setting standards, as well as the presence of the organization’s constituencies [workers and employers] who are on the ground and in the workplaces of every country impacted by migration.

Her Excellency Ms. Ann-Sofie Nilsson, Director-General for International Development Cooperation of Sweden supported these remarks and spoke about the new Swedish labour migration policy. Ms. Nilsson stated that the new law “facilitates access to the Swedish labour market for migrants, of all skill levels, to better meet the needs of Swedish employers while ensuring that labour migration does not become a conduit for social dumping to the detriment of local workers.”

“Migrant workers are an important source of innovation and skills transfers, which are crucial to development. Employers, who are frequent users of international immigration systems, need to have a seat at the table on international migration discussions” said Ronnie Goldberg of the United States Council for International Business (UCSIB). Ms. Goldberg, presenting the employers’ perspective on migration said that “the human rights dimension of labour migration is compatible with the business and economic case.”

Matt Simmonds, representing the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) provided the workers’ view by outlining their four priorities, namely: a robust, gender-sensitive human rights approach to labour migration; positioning the migration debate within a UN normative framework; advocating for the UN - especially the ILO - to have a central role in the institutional governance architecture, and; to ensure the substantive participation of civil society and workers’ organisations at the UN’s High-level Debate on Migration.

In reference to the migration experience in the U.S., Andrea DiBitetto of the AFL-CIO spoke about the inclusion of the ILO’s model of social dialogue and tripartism into the migration policy process in her work with the Chamber of Commerce as well as Senators in the Congress to draft the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act”. The Act, she noted, is with the Senate and seeks to “create a new labour migration programme that gives workers job portability, family reunification rights, among other rights and securities, and establishes a new independent Government agency that will assess real labour market needs and the impact of labour migration on the US labour market and workforce.”

Giving a perspective from Botswana, Opelo July, the Operations Director of social networking platform called BWJobs4Graduates, said that “labour mobility valorises young people’s qualifications and gives young migrants more chances to secure decent jobs.”

The second discussion of the roundtable, Increasing the protection of migrants workers’ rights and changing public perceptions of migrants, began with the intervention of Her Excellency Ms. Elias Dias Gras, representative of the Government of Mexico. Ms. Gras stated that Mexico, traditionally an origin country of migrants, is now “experiencing a shifting identity as a transit and destination country through the reform of the constitutional and legal framework of the country with a focus on better protect the migrants transiting through or settling in Mexico.” In spite of these changed migration dynamics she stated Mexico’s commitment to championing migrants’ rights to the same extent as when Mexico was solely an origin country.

In speaking about ethical recruitment of workers, Nick Forster of FSI International indicated that his company operates in both origin and destination countries, and never charges the migrant workers for placement and helps ensure that money sent home by the workers reaches their families to help pull them out of poverty. However, he pointed out that his company “operates in a crowded industry that often incentivizes the defrauding of migrant workers” and called upon for Governments and legislators to “encourage the growth of the ethical recruitment industry.”

Ms. Laura Garciandia demonstrated how much could be accomplished through simple civic engagement and awareness-raising campaigns in local communities. Her volunteer-led initiative, Ayudalos a llegar, provides assistance to migrants in shelters “not only through addressing their basic food, health and clothing needs but also be providing migrants important legal advice and information on their rights.” The organization also helps people in Mexico who are considering migration for work find decent job opportunities in-country so that they are not compelled by poverty to undertake unsafe or poorly compensate work or endanger their lives in their bid to cross the U.S. border.

The significance of the economic aspects of labour migration was further developed by His Excellency Mr. Denis G. Antoine, Permanent Representative of Grenada, who pointed out that small island States, such as his own country, are “heavily reliant on migrants’ remittances and improving the migrants’ financial literacy was crucial to the protection of their rights.”

The importance of “empowering migrant workers to present their own views and engage in a dialogue that builds mutual understanding” with the destination society was central to a statement by Aung Tin Htun’s, Executive Director of the Migrant World Film Festival in the Republic of Korea. The annual film festival dedicates a special section to screening short amateur films made by migrant workers who received film media training through a network of migrant support centres. He believes that the media training that migrants receive can contribute to better jobs as many migrants return home and continue applying their skills in the media sectors of their countries.

In the closing of the discussion, His Excellency Mr. Shahidul Haque, Foreign Secretary of the Government of Bangladesh, referenced the garment industry in his country. He said that they were “on the right track in developing a new framework that provides proper safety, security and better working conditions in the garment industry where the majority of workers are internal migrants.” He stated that “migration and development are political issues and not just a labour issue”. Mr. Haque reaffirmed his belief that “not governing migration carries greater risks of destabilising the development gains made thus far”, and that adopting a migrant-centred approach when engaging on this issue was critical.