Trade unions to 2nd GFMD: Focus on human rights
By MARIA ALETA O. NIEVA, abs-cbnNEWS.com | 10/14/2008 12:55 PM
Printer-friendly version | 
Send to friend | 
Share your views
Global unions are urging participants to the 2nd Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) to focus discussions on protecting and upholding human rights of migrant workers.
Annie Geron, vice president of the Public Services International (PSI) raised three key points that global unions would want to relay to governments attending the 2nd GFMD which will be hosted by the Philippine government this October.
First, Geron said both sending and receiving countries must protect migrants and their families.
“Ang problema sa atin, ang tingin sa labor ay parang kalakal. Ang polisiya ng labort export ay dapat itigil. Hindi mapipigil ang problema ng migration kung patuloy ang pagpapalabas ng tao sa halip na pagukulan ng pansin ang paglikha ng disenteng trabaho dito sa loob ng Pilipinas,” Geron said.
Geron clarified that PSI, like other global unions, is not against migration. However, they are against it once a migrant is forced to go abroad due to push factors such as lack of local employment, poor salary and working conditions.
“Sa laki ng remittances na nakukuha ng government, ang dati na interim measure to address employment ay naging permanenteng patakaran sa patuloy na pagpapalabas. ‘Yun din ang dahilan kung bakit hindi napapagtuunan ng pansin ang paglikha ng trabaho dito sa atin,” Geron said.
Labor standards
Second, Geron also pointed out that governments must uphold the existing United Nations (UN) instruments and the International Labor Organization (ILO) core labor standards.
“Ito ‘yong right to organize, right to negotiate for pay and condition, equal pay, abolition of child labor and the abolition of forced labor. Ito ‘yong panawagan namin,” she said.
Problems faced by migrant workers will be lessened only if governments respect the UN and ILO instruments.
For her third point, Geron maintained that global unions do not believe that governments should use migration as a strategy for development.
“We don’t want migration to be used as a development strategy, and we would like the creation of decent work; for migration should be done out of choice and not necessity,” she said.
Fund public services
Furthermore, Geron explained that from the PSI perspective, they do not want migration to be used as a substitute for sending and receiving countries to not provide adequate funding for essential public services.
“Marami nang lumalabas na services sa education and health. Sa halip na nagpo-produce ang mga receiving countries ng sarili nilang mangggawa para tugunan ang kanilang pangangailangan, naga-angkat na lang sila ng mga tao doon sa mga countries like the Philippines na mahirap. Ang impact nito ay ating pagbagsak ng kalidad at sistemang pang-kalusugan at edukasyon,” said Geron.
PSI has 20 million members in 153 countries. Half of its membership is in the health sector.
“Ayon sa report ng organizations from other countries, talagang tinatamaan ngayon. Kahit ageing ang population sa Europe o ibang bansa, ang higpit-higpit naman ng conditions. At dahil nawawalan ng trabaho ang mga locals doon, natural na ang competition doon ay mas mataas,” she said.
GFMD, a big job fair?
Ambet Yuson, Asia Pacific regional representative of the Building and Woodworkers International (BWI), is worried that the 2nd GFMD could become a “marketplace” just like what happened during the first meeting held in Belgium.
“We are going to engage. We are going to say our piece. But this might be a big job fair,” he said.
Global unions were critical of the 1st GFMD, which they said only concentrated on the temporary forms of migration and remittances without giving adequate consideration to the interests and rights of migrant workers. They were also convinced that the global debate on migration, development and human rights should be returned to the United Nations.
“Thirty-two bilateral agreements have signed by government to government. Ngayon ano ang labas? Walang transparency. Ang ginagawa, parang memorandum of agreement para hindi legally binding, hindi dadaan ng Senado, walang diplomatic protest. Kung titingnan mo, sinasabi lang doon magtutulungan para doon sa pagpapadala ng mga mangagawa pero walang issue ng wages, working condition etc,” he said.
They fear that the 2nd GFMD “could be another WTO [World Trade Organization]”.
Civil society meet
Around 150 international delegates from the trade unions are expected to gather with their local counterparts in the country for the People’s Global Action (PGA) on Migration, Development and Human Rights.
The PGA is an alternative movement by migrants, trade unions, development advocates, social movements and civil society groups focused at confronting various issues of migration and migrant workers. It will be held on October 22-30 in Manila
The PGA will highlight trade union’s position on the GFMD. They are also expected to share different cases they have encountered as well best practices and hear stories from migrants themselves.
“We will offer the public the different services global unions can provide workers. Global unions, historically, have been providing support and services to migrant workers.
Take up global crisis, GFMD urged
Meanwhile, the Blas F. Ople (BFO) Policy Center believes that the GFMD is a good avenue for discussions on the protection of migrant workers’ rights and welfare at a time when there is a global economic crisis.
“As host of the 2008 GFMD, the Philippines is in a position to infuse the discussions about migration with pressing global financial realities that threaten workers around the world,” Susan Ople said.
The former labor undersecretary who is also the president of the BFO Policy Center said that assurances are needed from destination countries that work contracts would be respected and migrant workers will be shielded from exploitation and abuse as foreign employers feel the pinch of a looming world financial melt-down.
The BFO Policy Center said the issue of human trafficking is also expected to be tackled in the 2nd GFMD.
“Human trafficking is now second only to the global drug trade as a transnational crime earning billions of dollars in profits. We are among the countries with the highest number of victims. Unfortunately, the Departments of Justice, Labor. and Foreign Affairs, as well as the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, do not have adequate funds to fight human trafficking,” the center said in a press statement.
The BFO Policy Center and Training Institute is part of the Philippine delegation composed of 30 non-government organizations that would take part in the civil society days of the Forum.
