Australian Minister visits ILO Migrant Worker Resource Center

MAE SOT, Thailand (ILO News) - Australian Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, the Hon. Andrew Giles MP, visited a Migrant Worker Resource Centre (MRC) to meet with migrant workers and support providers.

© ILO

© ILO

With support from the TRIANGLE in ASEAN programme, Human Rights and Development Foundation (HRDF) operates the MRC in Mae Sot, Tak province, that provides legal assistance and other services, to migrant workers and their communities.

HRDF has provided direct assistance to more than 10,000 migrant workers (approximately 50 per cent women), and THB 23,241,908 (approx. US$ 680,000) has been awarded in compensation to migrant workers for labour related abuses through HRDF’s legal assistance services.

Minister Giles also met with a group of migrant workers, who shared their experiences living and working in Thailand.While initially focusing on garment manufacturing, HRDF has expanded their outreach to include migrants employed in agriculture. The agriculture sector employs a significant number of migrants in Mae Sot, many of whom are undocumented and work and live on isolated agriculture sites and highly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. A 2022 TRIANGLE study found that 95 per cent of migrant workers in Tak province were paid below the minimum wage, and a striking 39 per earning less than half of the minimum wage.

© ILO

© ILO

TRIANGLE in ASEAN is a partnership between the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Global Affairs Canada (GAC), and the ILO, with the overall goal of maximizing the contribution of labour migration to equitable, inclusive and stable growth in ASEAN.

TRIANGLE in ASEAN provides direct services to migrant workers and their communities through a network of 22 Migrant Worker Resource Centres (MRCs) in 20 locations across six ASEAN member states. MRC services are delivered through partnerships with government institutions, trade unions and civil society organizations, and provide a range of services, including counselling, training and legal assistance.

Despite the significant contributions of migrant workers to their countries of origin and destination, many migrant workers, especially women, face labour related abuse and exploitation, and receive lack of social protection and sub-standard housing. In Thailand, approximately 2.5 million documented workers from Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar work in agriculture, construction, fishing, manufacturing, and services including domestic work, according to the Department of Employment in 2023.