ILO speaks for migrant workers’ rights at Vietnam’s first national labour forum held abroad in Tokyo
20 December 2023
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The ILO participated in the Vietnam-Japan Labour Cooperation Forum to explain the need to abolish recruitment fees and costs charged to migrant workers.
TOKYO (ILO News) - At the Vietnam-Japan Labour Cooperation Forum organised by the Vietnamese government in Tokyo on 16 December 2023, Ryusuke Tanaka, Programme Officer at the ILO Office for Japan, explained the “zero-fee policy” to promote the elimination of recruitment fees or related costs charged on migrant workers.
Marking the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs and the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan co-hosted the forum, which drew nearly 500 participants from Japanese employers and supervising organisations. The Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who was visiting Japan to attend the Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation, gave a special address in the first half of the event, reflecting on the history of bilateral relations.
Ryusuke Tanaka, the ILO’s Programme Officer, gave a presentation in the second half. He emphasized the importance of the zero recruitment fee policy for all stakeholders, including Vietnamese recruitment agencies and Japanese supervising organisations and employers, as it plays a key role not only in achieving decent work for Vietnamese migrant workers in Japan but also in helping Japanese companies maintain international competitiveness.
The Programme Officer also touched upon the Vietnam-Japan Fair and Ethical Recruitment Initiative (VJ-FERI), a new project the ILO decided to launch in cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) upon having discussions with the Japanese and Vietnamese governments and workers’ and employers’ organisations. Referring to International Migrants Day on 18 December, Ryusuke concluded his speech by stressing the need for united efforts to ensure that all migrants worldwide have the dignity they deserve as individuals.
In February and August 2023, the ILO Office for Japan participated in the hearings of the Japanese government’s expert panel on the Technical Intern Training Programme, presenting its views on easing restrictions on changing workplace that hinder workers’ free choice of employment and implementing the zero-fee policy.
TOKYO (ILO News) - At the Vietnam-Japan Labour Cooperation Forum organised by the Vietnamese government in Tokyo on 16 December 2023, Ryusuke Tanaka, Programme Officer at the ILO Office for Japan, explained the “zero-fee policy” to promote the elimination of recruitment fees or related costs charged on migrant workers.
Marking the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs and the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan co-hosted the forum, which drew nearly 500 participants from Japanese employers and supervising organisations. The Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who was visiting Japan to attend the Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation, gave a special address in the first half of the event, reflecting on the history of bilateral relations.
Ryusuke Tanaka, the ILO’s Programme Officer, gave a presentation in the second half. He emphasized the importance of the zero recruitment fee policy for all stakeholders, including Vietnamese recruitment agencies and Japanese supervising organisations and employers, as it plays a key role not only in achieving decent work for Vietnamese migrant workers in Japan but also in helping Japanese companies maintain international competitiveness.
The Programme Officer also touched upon the Vietnam-Japan Fair and Ethical Recruitment Initiative (VJ-FERI), a new project the ILO decided to launch in cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) upon having discussions with the Japanese and Vietnamese governments and workers’ and employers’ organisations. Referring to International Migrants Day on 18 December, Ryusuke concluded his speech by stressing the need for united efforts to ensure that all migrants worldwide have the dignity they deserve as individuals.
In February and August 2023, the ILO Office for Japan participated in the hearings of the Japanese government’s expert panel on the Technical Intern Training Programme, presenting its views on easing restrictions on changing workplace that hinder workers’ free choice of employment and implementing the zero-fee policy.