Visiting Training Centre
BAUW and Infra Park was the conference venue, which was training centre of FNV for skill development focusing on construction work. The area was constructed during the second world war and then used by union a since the 1950th decade. The conference start
ed at 11 am by Ruud Baars from FNV, the chair of the BWI Ad hoc committee on Migration with welcoming all the participants. Then Ambet Yuson, the general secretary of BWI, addressed the conference as opining remarks. The conference was having about 100 delegates from 31 countries and some of the global union’s representation, as,
He highlighted the fact that during a decade time of the movement on migration issue, it has become the heart of the global union movement. The main concern ofthe movement is fair and safe migration for decent work, that is why this conference as well linking with decent job day, 7th of October.
Over view session
Maria Grazia, the UN special rapporteur on trafficking of person, specially women and children share her opinion and experiences. She said most of the problem created by difference in language and action of politician. Trafficking is not only for other exploitation even for workers as agriculture, farming, domestic, which are essential area of work. It is dark side of global economy, moving from poor area to wealthier area for cheap labor. 21 million people are subject force labor. Criminalizing the migration through trafficking.
Legislation, policy and regulation in the destination countries are part of the problem and women are vast majority, who have been heavily exploited as work and sexually. But, women participation is increasing day by day. Minimizing the trafficking, deconstruct the stereotype as people were taken from one place to another place are exploited. Same patter in economic booming nations. Trafficking means not only slavery and are new p
henomena of using migrant work with consent with fault promise of better working condition.
Talking about the way to deal these problems, she highlighted that trade unionization is key, criminalizing the slavery and exploitation, safe and rescue should be in priority and social integration should be taken into account.
Touhid Padha, the Senior labor migration specialist in IOM-HQ was the another speaker. He share the fact that 500,000 people arrived in four EU countries from Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, which is the data increased by 245861this year, cause by conflict at home countries. Problems as false promises, corruption in the recruiting, prevented freedom of movement are major problem and union should play role to organize and include them in CBA.
Session on Organising in Destination Country
South Africa, Malaysia, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland were in this panel. Being a country of destination, they share the experiences that CBA cover the migrant workers as well in Europe. They can be part of union, but not easy to organize them. Many of the unions have special department to organize migrant, but still difficult to reach out them. Seasonal workers are most difficult.
Equal right matter, difficult to organize cause of fear, CBA cover all principally, many more are getting precarious. Temporary are more youth and women, TO should take action for them and include all of them, need different way to organize migrant. Before starting this session there was skype conversation with MTUC Malaysia and Nepali migrant workers shared their experiences of being organized there under trade union.
Group Work on Global Governance
There was different group discussion in the afternoon. I was part of the global governance, where Victor Hugo Ricco from ILO-ACTRAV presented the ILO perspective on labor migration relating with migration convention.143, even no permanent residence should have freedom of association, if they ratified this convention. 97 ratified by 49 and 143 ratified by 23 and 189 by 22 countries.
Then MFA and ITUC’s experiences and action to be taken was shared. They mentioned GFMD is only the global forum where government can meet, but the outcome is non-binding. It is annual activities since 2007. Govt. share and learn from each other. Civil society is meeting as parallel. Next year it would be in Bangladesh and then Germany and Morocco. Being a least developed country, next year agenda should keep about decent job at home and protecting migrant workers as well. Probably 3rd high-level meeting would take place in 2019. But the question is that who set the agenda. The outcome document from high-level dialogue has not been well taken by movement.
In the evening FNV conducted city tour and then dinner program in the city
2nd day of the meeting started with a panel focus on organizing migrant having people in panel from Lebanon, the Netherland, Brazil, Tajikistan, and Switzerland. They shared the experiences of how they are organizing migrant workers under union. Some of them were migrant workers themselves organizing under union.
Skype meeting with the migrant workers in Italy had happened, who are living there as refugee and being organized by CGIL. They were migrated from Africa to Europe, having illegal status. It was interesting as well as painful experiences as illegal workers.
They there was groups on Networking, Training on Qatar App, We Asian people participated the Qatar App. training which was developed by FNV and trying to familiarize migrant on it, since it is compatible for Android. User can just type the BWI in setting menu and download the app and use it to make complain, update and prepare database as well.
Panel on Qatar Campaign
There was panel after lunch on organizing migrant workers in Qatar. Jin Sook Lee from BWI and the panelist moderated the session were Myself from Nepal, Ruud from FNV, Delfin from Philippines as returnee and Kirsty Drew from TUAC were sharing the experiences. I was basically sharing the work done by gefont in Qatar through gefont support group in cooperation with BWI and ITUC. The major points, I presented are as below.
- Pre departure information discrimination
Modern day of slavery -
- Passport taken out, different job, different wage, exit permit
- Different wage for different nationality as well
- Inhumane living condition
- We started to organize migrant workers in 2010
- Join ITUC and BWI from 2011
- Focusing on construction
- Formation of committee and membership drive
- Interaction on workers situation
- Leadership Training
- Workshop and seminar on migrant workers right
- Media campaign
- Lobbying to local authority
- NHRC
- Labor ministry and
- Labor minister
- Case handling in Nepal
- Organizing and mobilizing returnees
- Sending Organizer to Qatar
- Planning to have joint program to celebrate IMD 2015
- Use the BWI apps through our organizer
OECD guideline can be used to promote workers right in Qatar, where MNCs are working. Pressure can be created to FIFA bas
ed on OECD principle as well. Lobbying to sponsored company can be another strategy. For instance, Coca Cola was visited by BWI along with IUF.
At the end of the session, as symbolic team of the football, t-shirt having 11 demands to end slavery in Qatar with red card wa presented.
After the session, Skype interaction with Qatar based migrant workers was conducted, but it was just useful for Pilipino migrant, since the South Asian workers were not prepared enough to speak.
Final session was on reporting of the BWI’s regional meeting’s decision about migration and then thanking to the organizer as well as local host for all the effort to make the event success.
Field Visit
October 7th, we went for filed visit to see one of the government construction project in Amsterdam, which was 500 meter and long and 200 meter wide engaging 700 workers. They had started this project last year September and completing by this year. It is prison and having 650 cells can accommodate about 1000 prison. The salary and benefit of the workers supposed to be equal according to Dutch law, but in reality there is also migrant workers get much lower pay than local. About 20 per cent of the workers have been organized under union, caused by not much problem as well as young generation do not care much about unionism.
WDDW celebration
Then we move to labor museum to have lunch and celebration of world day of decent work (WDDW). I invited some Nepali to come over there and introduce with Annie and Jan Eric from FNV. In the day to come, if they could build up the relation will be better to connect social network with local movement.
Finally, departed in the afternoon from the Netherland, with completion of the mission of this trip.