ITUC calls on governments to uphold their commitments to respect migrant workers’ rights

 

  

This International Migrants Day, 18 December, 2022, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) calls on governments to uphold their commitments to respect migrant workers’ rights and increase their efforts to foster inclusion.

“We say once again that migrants, refugees and asylum seekers are welcome. Trade unions globally demand safe haven, the right to work and equal treatment for everyone and, furthermore, that no person should be forced to migrate,” said Owen Tudor, ITUC Deputy General Secretary.

The number of migrants across the world reached 281 million in 2020, or 3.6% of the world’s population, including many people forced from their homes by the impacts of climate change. In 2019, the ILO estimated that among international migrants, 169 million were workers.

Migrant workers are more likely to be concentrated in low-paid, precarious, informal work and, therefore, excluded from any form of social protection. This is especially the case for migrant women, who are overrepresented in the informal economy, particularly in the care and domestic sectors.

“We need a rights-based approach to migration that provides migrant workers with opportunities for decent work and effective access to all their rights, which is designed and implemented through social dialogue with labour standards at the forefront,” added Owen Tudor.