ILO and Thai Trade Unions hold workshop on further promoting ratification of ILO C.87 and C.98 and protection of young and migrant workers

The ILO through its Bureau for Workers Activities (ACTRAV), supported by ILO-IPEC and ILO-TRIANGLE projects, conducted a workshop on ILO-Trade Union Cooperation for Promoting Labour Standards on 7th June 2013 at Landmark Hotel Bangkok. The workshop aimed at further supporting Thai unions’ on-going campaign for ratification of ILO Conventions No.87 and No.98 concerning freedom of association and right to collective bargaining, and promoting its link to campaigning on other fundamental rights, namely those on elimination of child labour and forced labour, with a specific focus on migrant workers. The meeting was attended by high level representatives of Thai Trade Union Congress (TTUC), Labour Congress of Thailand (LCT), National Congress of Private Industrial Employees (NCPE), State Enterprises Workers’ Relations Confederation (SERC) and Thai Labour Solidarity Committee (TLSC). One third of the participants were women.

Only one percent of 38 million workers in Thailand are unionized, thus, the coverage of collective bargaining agreement is rather limited. The fundamental rights of workers related to freedom of association and collective bargaining are crucial for realizing all labour rights and securing adequate protections for migrant and young workers against exploitation. The workshop emphasized that the issues of child labour, forced labour and migrant workers’ protection can be effectively and sustainably addressed only when workers have collective voice and bargaining power.

The objective of the workshop was to discuss and agree on the action plan to be supported by the ILO during 2013-2014 that takes into consideration the unions’ current campaign strategies and the important role of unions in the protection of migrant workers and elimination of child labour.

Greater mobilization of unions in provinces, economic empowerment of migrant workers and informal workers, creating leadership pool with trained young leaders, learning from fellow trade unions in other countries on innovative approaches in addressing child labour and migrant labour issues, and conducting mini research works on application of migrant workers’ rights were some of the issues discussed at the workshop. The participants agreed on the outline of the action plan, and expressed the importance of working through a joint coordination mechanism.

Furthermore, the participants reiterated the need for stronger unity among unions, and stressed the necessity for more intense campaigning for ratification. The unions also appealed to the ILO to take a pro-active role in urging the government to ratify these core conventions. “The ILO will urge the government to step forward their ratification. The ILO also requests trade unions to lobby the government and the employers in order to sign the DWCP for Thailand,” said Pong-Sul Ahn, ILO senior specialist in Workers’ Activities, at the closing of the workshop.