VIENTIANE, Lao People's Democratic Republic (ILO News) – The Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia Programme held its first national consultative dialogue in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic on 10 August 2021 at the Lao Plaza Hotel.

Key stakeholders from the government, employers and workers organizations as well as civil society met to discuss the new programme and expressed strong commitment to work together to promote safe and regular labour migration into decent work in the fishing and seafood processing sectors. The agenda included an introduction to the programme, review and approval of a work plan for the first year and formation of a National Programme Advisory Committee to provide strategic guidance on implementation.

Director General of the Skills Development and Employment Department, Anousone Khamsingsavath, emphasized that, “The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare welcomes collaboration with the EU and United Nations under the Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia Programme.” She noted that, “There are at least 4,500 Lao migrant workers employed in the fishing and seafood processing sectors in Thailand and 2,000 more in Malaysia. Migrant workers in these sectors require increased access to safe and regular channels for migration and strengthened protection of their labour rights during their employment abroad.”

During her opening remarks, Francesca Arato, Governance and Rule of Law Attaché of the Delegation of the European Union, highlighted that, “Labour migration makes a critical contribution to the social and economic development of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. A considerable share of Lao migrant workers are employed in fisheries-related work and many experience significant decent work deficits. During COVID-19, the established migration channels for going abroad have been significantly disrupted and there have been large flows of migrant workers returning home to communities of origin where there are few local job opportunities available. The European Union is committed to supporting the promotion of safe and regular labour migration that maximizes the benefits for migrant workers, their families and their communities in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.”

Benjamin Harkins, ILO Technical Officer for Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia, said that “The ILO recognizes the major challenges experienced by Lao migrant workers in their pursuit of decent work in the fishing and seafood processing sectors, including a high prevalence of labour rights abuses during their recruitment and employment. We are very pleased that key stakeholders in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic were able to reach agreement on a robust initial work plan that directly responds to the sector-specific labour protection needs of these workers.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on the livelihoods of the 1.3 million Lao migrants, with approximately 140,000 returning as of mid-July 2021. The large-scale returns, coupled with loss of employment in key destination countries, have reduced the amount of remittances sent home to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic by an estimated 11 per cent in 2020. These transfers are critical to supporting the financial resilience of migrant households, particularly for women living in rural areas.

The Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia Programme has already begun to respond to the urgent needs of returning migrant workers in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, providing an emergency grant to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare to provide food, hygiene products and informational materials on local employment opportunities during their stay at quarantine facilities. In addition, the Programme plans to provide support to Migrant Worker Resource Centers (MRCs) that will link returnees with market-oriented skills and enterprise development training, as well as job matching services, so that they can pursue new livelihoods.

Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia Programme is a multi-country, multi-annual initiative of the European Union and the United Nations, implemented by the International Labour Organization in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Development Programme.

The programme delivers technical assistance and support with the overall objective of promoting safe and regular labour migration among South East Asian countries. The programme addresses the specific characteristics of work in the fishing and seafood processing sectors as well as the barriers and risks present in the migration system, which can lead to unsafe migration, decent work deficits, abuse and trafficking for forced labour.