Ryder: Labour migration policies need urgent shift to avoid more tragedies

GENEVA – International labour migration policies is one area in which shortcomings have become most palpable and the way to fix this is through concerted action, ILO Director-General Guy Ryder told a recent high-level panel on labour migration in Geneva.

“We cannot allow tragedies like the one in Lampedusa, and more recently in Malta and Niger, to become commonplace,” said Ryder during a special session held as part of a five-day technical meeting on labour migration organized by the ILO.

Ryder said that workers and their families account for more than 90 per cent of all international migrants. They also represent up to 96 per cent of the labour force in some destination countries.

“We need to move beyond debates in terms of numbers, flows and remittances and towards concrete measures that close the serious gaps in migration governance,” he added, welcoming the progress made at the recent UN High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development.

We need to move beyond debates in terms of numbers, flows and remittances and towards concrete measures that close the serious gaps in migration governance."

Ryder said he would use the ILO’s 2014 chairmanship of the Global Migration Group (GMG) – which brings together the heads of UN agencies to promote the application of labour migration instruments – to address these challenges and to better integrate the protection of migrants in the post-2015 UN development agenda.

The Director-General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), William Lacy Swing, whose organization currently leads the GMG, also took part in the high-level panel. He highlighted the close cooperation between both agencies as the ILO prepares to take over the GMA chair.

“Large scale migration is inevitable given the demographic figures that we know. It is necessary, if jobs are going to be filled, if skills are going to be available and economies are to flourish, and it is absolutely desirable if we have the right policies and implement them in a human, orderly and safe manner,” he said.

Eva Akerman Börje, Ambassador and chair of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) – the largest global platform for annual policy dialogue among Governments, international organizations and civil society – pledged to convene regular meetings with the leadership of the GFMD and the GMG to identify shared priorities, adding that “Sweden looks forward to engage in such exchanges with the ILO under its 2014 chairmanship of the GMG.”

Ryder said that special efforts should be made to avoid migrant workers ending up joining the informal economy. In that respect, it is important to recognize real labour market needs, particularly in sectors that require lower skills. In other cases, migrant workers need to have their skills and diplomas recognized.

He also highlighted other key policy measures, such as: implementing safe recruitment practices; securing the transfer of social security benefits from one country to another, and protecting migrant workers’ right to freedom of association and collective bargaining.

The promotion of the ILO Domestic Workers Convention, as well as other existing ILO Conventions guaranteeing migrant workers’ rights, can help achieve these goals, Ryder added.

He also called for a greater involvement of Labour and Social protection ministries in discussions on international migration. He said that other international organizations, as well as workers’ and employers’ organizations, need to be increasingly recognized as “distinct actors within the civil society,” in order to help improve global governance on labour migration issues.

Flavia Pansieri, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said that “policy on migration is frequently made on the basis of assumptions rather than evidence, in reaction to populist rhetoric rather than universal principles.” She went further in asserting that “such policies are neither good for countries nor for migrants” and called for a fundamental paradigm shift in the way that migration is governed.

Ambet Yuson, General Secretary of Building & Wood Workers International, spoke of the serious problems of racism and xenophobia that many migrant workers face. He argued that “one of the reasons that human rights are not exercised, including the rights to organize and bargain, is fear,” adding that the ILO can contribute towards “a broader culture of respect and dialogue in our societies, deepening and strengthening economic equality and democracy.”

Ellen Yost, from the United States Council on International Business, referred to the importance of business having a place at the table during international migration debates. She said that “partnership between government and business is particularly important since labour migration is a key component of migration policy in achieving these goals.” She also argued that strict penalties should be imposed upon recruiters and employers who violate the rights of migrants.