Topic - Migration

Today, almost 175 million people are thought to be living outside their countries of origin. 86 million of them are workers. And the number is growing. More and more migrants are women. Poverty, famine, repression or war are their main reasons for moving. If they want a decent life for themselves and their families, they don't have much choice. The various migratory movements are chiefly towards the countries of the North. But more and more, these days, migrants are moving between the countries of the South. Almost half of all migrants live in developing countries. For many of them, migration is a real lifeline, but all too often, they still face exploitation and abuse. Forced labour, low pay, bad working conditions, virtually no social protection, denial of freedom of association and trade union rights, discrimination, xenophobia and social exclusion - these are just some of the woes that rob migrants of the benefits they could have gained from working abroad. The restrictive policies adopted by many governments have not stemmed the flow, and the security approach towards this very human trend has done no better. Instead, they have promoted irregular migration, forcing hundreds of thousands of people into clandestinity. Today, people trafficking is worth seven billion dollars a year to networks that make their fortunes out of the world's most vulnerable people. Women and children are particularly subject to violence and ill-treatment. They are exploited by unscrupulous employers or reduced to servitude by the slave-traders of today. The migrants' irregular situation leaves them vulnerable to various kinds of abuse, discrimination and exploitation, both during transit and in their countries of destination. New measures are urgently needed worldwide to improve the situation of all migrant workers and their families, and to safeguard their basic rights and dignity. Those rights already exist. They don't need to be invented. The ILO emphasizes that all its standards apply to all workers, including to migrants, whatever their situation may be. Two Conventions provide for equal treatment and equal opportunities. And a new United Nations Convention has also come into force. Many countries are going to need migrants, men and women alike, in order to maintain living standards. It's high time these workers' rights were respected and their contribution to progress and a better of quality of life were recognized. Migrants contribute both to their host countries and to their countries of origin, to which they remit the equivalent of 90 billion dollars every year. That's more than all the development aid given by all the rich countries put together. Protecting migrant workers will take some political willpower. The International Labour Organization, by adopting a multilateral framework for a rights-based approach to labour migration, will be the one to point the way. But trade union organizations can also make a vital difference. They can give migrants what they need most: a voice for their concerns and a springboard to justice and equality.

News Key Reading Further Information Key Issues Trade Unions Others Key Websites Trade Unions Others Databases Trade Unions Others Key Journals Trade Unions Others Contacts

News

Costs and Benefits of European Immigration
Researchers at the Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI) have published a new report entitled "Costs and Benefits of European Immigration". The 80-page document shows that labour migration in Europe (European Union) has a positive influence on population and labour force growth, a "very small", if any, negative impact on wages and employment, with the potential downward effect being offset by additional job creation and higher demand, and a general positive influence on economic growth. The authors make a series of proposals for maximizing the benefits of migration and minimizing its costs.

More...

Key Reading

Costs and Benefits of European Immigration (Oct 06) NEW!
UN report on migration and development (Sep 06)
Rapport des Nations Unies sur les migrations et le développement (Sep 06)
Informe de las Naciones Unidas sobre migración y desarollo (Sep 06)

The Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations, in collaboration with Fondazione Rosselli and with the support of the Italian Government, organized an International Symposium on International Migration and Development in Turin, Italy, from 28 to 30 June 2006. The Symposium was part of the preparatory work of United Nations Secretariat for the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development that the General Assembly conducts from 14 to 15 September 2006. A series of research papers was produced for that meeting.

Gender and international migration: evidence from the NIDI-Eurostat Study, Richard E. Bilsborrow and Jeannette Schoorl (2006)
Globalization and internationalization of tertiary education, Mary M. Kritz (2006)
Policies and best practices for management of temporary migration, Manolo Abella (2006)
International migration and the achievement of MDGs in Africa, - Economic Commission for Africa (2006)
Entrepreneurship among migrants and returnees: creating new opportunities, Jan Rath (2006)
Immigration, integration and return migration: the Swedish experience, Martin Klinthall (2006)
Managing labour migration: temporary worker programmes for the 21st century, Philip Martin (2006)
Gender aspects of International Migration to Canada and the United States, Monica Boyd (2006)
International migration and economic development, J. Edward Taylor (2006)
The remittance sending practices of Haitians and Jamaicans in Canada, Alan Simmons, Dwaine Plaza and Victor Piche (2005)
El aporte de las remesas para la economia Ecuatoriana, Alberto Acosta (2005)
Social capital and international migration from Latin America, Douglas S. Massey and Maria Aysa (2005)
Women, gender, and international migration across and beyond the Americas: inequalities and limited empowerment, Patricia R. Pessar (2005)
Brain drain in Latin America, Caglar Ozden (2005)

ILO European meeting
Labour Migration in Europe was also on the agenda of the ILO 7th European Regional Meeting which took place in Budapest on 14-18 February. The report published on the occasion of that meeting says: "Western Europe may face a serious reduction in its standard of living unless migration is increased, people agree to retire much later, or there is a major technological leap to raise productivity." In its conclusions, the Budapest meeting states that "National policies for migrant workers, developed through tripartite consultations, should ensure equality of treatment, in line with relevant international labour standards. At the same time the ILO should facilitate the exchange of good practice in protecting the rights of migrants and in combating clandestine trafficking of women, men and children for labour, as well as combating illegal work and in fighting against racism, xenophobia and discrimination".

Report of the Commission on Human Rights
A new report tabled to the 61st Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights (Geneva, 14 March to 22 April, 2005) says that the only way of stopping the continued deterioration of the situation of migrant, in particular of those who find themselves in irregular situations, is to recognize their human rights and to implement the principle of non-discrimination. (The report was only available in Spanish at the time of writing, it was prepared by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants (Ms.Gabriela Rodriguez Pizarro)).

Concerns over Burmese migrant workers
In Asia, the Asian Human Rights Commission denounced what it called "discriminatory relief operations and forced deportation" against Burmese migrant workers affected by the Tsunami. The group sent a letter to Thailand's Labour Minister expressing concerns at these developments.

A series of papers examine best practice regarding recruitment of labour migrants, projecting future labour needs and labour market integration in the European countries as well as in other industrialised countries. They were prepared by experts from the Migration Research Group (MRG), Hamburg Institute for International Economics (HWWA), Germany, in cooperation with the Migration Policy Institute, Washington DC.

The ILO's 92nd International Labour Conference has adopted a new plan aimed at providing a fair deal for the world's 86 million migrant workers - a Resolution and Conclusions are included in the Report of the Committee.

Report of the Committee
Report of the Committee on Migrant workers, ILC 04
Rapport de la Commission des travailleurs migrants
Informe de la Comisión de los Trabajadores Migrantes

Background report
Towards a fair deal for migrant workers in the global economy
Une approche équitable pour les travailleurs migrants dans une économie mondialisée
En busca de un compromiso equitativo para los trabajadores migrantes en la economía globalizada

Online discussion
One of the Global Union Research Network's first pilot projects enabled union organizations to debate the issues on migrant workers which was tabled for the general discussion at the International Labour Conference in 2004. The debate fed into the Workers' Group preparations for the Conference.

Summary of the four weeks online discussion on migrant workers, May 04, (English)
Résumé des quatre semaines du débat en ligne sur les migrations, mai 04, (Français)
Resumen del debate de cuatro semanas sobre las migraciones, mayo de 04, (Español)

Trade Union Responses for a Better Management of Migrant and Crosborder Work, Jun 04 (IFBWW)
Editorial of Labour Education 129, 2002/4
Migration: Industrialized countries are the main winners, by Elsa Ramos, Director, Equality and Youth Department International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)
Migrants get unions back to basics, by Natacha David, Editor-in-chief Trade Union World, International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)
Need to know: Asylum, immigration and transport workers, by David Cockroft, General Secretary International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF)
Immigration and workers' rights, by Sarah Fitzpatrick, International Federation of Building and Wood Workers (IFBWW)