back to home

 

Business and Human Rights: a resource website

 

   Migrant workers   

See also the following sections of this website:

NEW (recent additions to this section; top item is most recent addition)
Migrant workers seek state protection [Florida, USA] - With the support of House Majority Leader Marco Rubio, R-Miami, along with a coalition of black and Hispanic legislators, migrant workers and their advocates are pushing for a state law that would require employers to better train and inform workers to protect them from the pesticides many think are making them sick. (Diana Marrero, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2003)

IOM Calls for an End to Violence Against Migrant Women and the Trafficking of Women and Children into Sexual Bondage (International Organization for Migration, 7 Mar. 2003)

Migrant rights urged [China] - Chinese lawmakers called on Friday for legislation to protect the nation's huge number of rural migrant workers...On Wednesday, Premier Zhu Rongji pledged to protect the legitimate rights and interests of farmer-labourers holding temporary or permanent jobs in cities. (China Daily, 8 Mar. 2003)

Standards & guidelines:

International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (United Nations, adopted in 1990, not yet in force)

Websites:

Documents on migrant workers (U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights)

Fact Sheet No.24, The Rights of Migrant Workers (United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights)

Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the human rights of migrants: Documents (U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights)

Other materials:

2003:

Migrant workers seek state protection [Florida, USA] - With the support of House Majority Leader Marco Rubio, R-Miami, along with a coalition of black and Hispanic legislators, migrant workers and their advocates are pushing for a state law that would require employers to better train and inform workers to protect them from the pesticides many think are making them sick. (Diana Marrero, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2003)

Migrant rights urged [China] - Chinese lawmakers called on Friday for legislation to protect the nation's huge number of rural migrant workers...On Wednesday, Premier Zhu Rongji pledged to protect the legitimate rights and interests of farmer-labourers holding temporary or permanent jobs in cities. (China Daily, 8 Mar. 2003)

IOM Calls for an End to Violence Against Migrant Women and the Trafficking of Women and Children into Sexual Bondage (International Organization for Migration, 7 Mar. 2003)

China Takes Up Cause of Migrant Workers - The plight of those unfortunate laborers found its way into the pages of tightly controlled state newspapers during the run-up to China's biggest holiday, the Lunar New Year. This year, some newspapers and Web sites have gone a small step further, not just reporting on the drastic measures desperate migrants have taken, but also even addressing protests that are tolerated in moderation, but still taboo. (John Ruwitch, Reuters, 12 Feb. 2003)

Minimum wage rise [in Guangzhou, China] will benefit migrant workers (South China Morning Post, on website of Human Rights in China, 2 Jan. 2003)

2002:

ICFTU welcomes the imminent entry into force of the UN Charter on Migrant Workers (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 10 Dec. 2002)

RIGHTS: Law to Protect Migrant Workers Awaits One More Nation - A United Nations convention aimed at protecting the rights of migrant workers worldwide needs to be ratified by only one more country before it becomes international law. The treaty gives migrant workers and their families the same protections as nationals of the countries where they work. (Thalif Deen, Inter Press Service, 22 Oct. 2002)

Women’s Health a Special Concern at Regional Migrant Workers Conference in Bangladesh -...attendees were especially concerned about the particular risks faced by female migrant workers, including sexual abuse by employers, diseases such as AIDS and forced or illegal abortions. Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand were criticized for subjecting migrant workers to mandatory AIDS tests and immediately deporting workers found to be positive. Singapore and Malaysia also automatically deport migrant workers found to be pregnant. Other issues addressed at the conference included low pay, dangerous working conditions and inadequate access to health care. (BSR [Business for Social Responsibility] News Monitor summary of 11 Oct. 2002 article from Inter Press Service, 16 Oct. 2002)

Full-time labor attorney fights for migrant workers' rights [South Korea] - A Korean certified labor lawyer has recently become the first full-time attorney working to improve the rights of foreign workers, according to the Center for Foreign Workers in Seoul yesterday. (Park Eun-myo, Korea Herald, 8 Oct. 2002)

Davis Signs WWII Guest Workers' Bill [USA] - Gov. Gray Davis [of California] signed legislation Sunday to give Mexican workers more time to recover wages they say were denied them when they came to the United States to work during World War II...The law is intended to help "braceros," the more than 300,000 Mexican farm workers who were contracted by the U.S. government to relieve the labor shortage during World War II...The guest workers and their heirs in 2001 sued the U.S. and Mexican governments and Wells Fargo Bank to recover the money. A U.S. District Court judge dismissed much of the suit in August, but workers' attorneys say they will continue to try to pursue the case. (Louise Chu, AP, 29 Sep. 2002)

Helping to reunite families while slowing AIDS [South Africa] -...Faced with post-apartheid laws that no longer favour migrant labour and with HIV infection rates estimated at 25% to 30% of their workers, many SA mining companies are working to replace crowded, all-male hostels with low-cost family housing. (Business Day [South Africa], 13 Sep. 2002)

Former Malaysian Deputy PM Anwar Ibrahim: Stop the Canning of Indonesian Workers! - Former Malaysian Prime Minister (PM) Deputy Anwar Ibrahim has criticized the Malaysian government’s decision to repatriate Indonesian illegal workers. (Tempo [Indonesia], 4 Sep. 2002)

Stranded migrant workers 'selling their babies' [Malaysia] - Aid workers say Indonesian migrant workers fleeing Malaysia are selling their babies in a desperate bid to raise money. (Ananova, 3 Sep. 2002)

Guangdong Federation of Trade Unions Declared Migrant Workers' Organisation in Zhejiang Illegal [China] - On July 10, 2002, Nanfang Dushibao in Guangdong ran a commentary, applauding the setting up of an autonomous migrant workers’ organisation in the coastal province of Zhejiang...the article pointed out that Guangdong Province hosts the largest number of migrant workers and yet their rights were widely violated...However, the positive commentary from Nanfang Dushibao met with stern rejection from the Guangdong Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU), which obviously took the RMMA as a full-fledged workers’ organisation. (China Labour Bulletin, 31 Aug. 2002)

Mahathir's migrant labours [Malaysia] - If they refuse to go voluntarily, detain them, cane them, fine them, jail them and then deport them. That, in a nutshell, is Malaysia's new policy on illegal migrants (John Aglionby, Guardian [UK], 16 Aug. 2002)

State panel calls for phase-out of 'industrial trainee system' [South Korea] - A state human rights panel recommended yesterday that the government phase out a disputed system for bringing in cheap labor from developing countries, mostly from Asian nations. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea also called on the government to grant temporary amnesty to illegal foreign workers after the deportation deadline of March next year to prevent possible human-rights violations. (Korea Herald, 14 Aug. 2002)

Malaysia told to soften migrant laws - Rights groups and businesses have increased the pressure on the Malaysian Government over new immigration laws which use harsh penalties to deter illegal workers. The human rights group Amnesty International has criticised the punishments for illegal immigrants which include prison and caning. (BBC News, 13 Aug. 2002)

Dominican Republic - Trafficking of Haitian Children -...Many children go to the Dominican Republic for a few months and then return, but some decide to stay there permanently, joining the ranks of a large informal sector of low-wage farm workers. They live under extremely precarious conditions, in terms of housing and food, and because of their age and illegal status are prone to physical and verbal abuse. (International Office for Migration, 9 Aug. 2002)

New York Forced Labor Marks First for U.S. Trafficking Law -...In an indictment issued late last month, the United States attorney in Buffalo charged that the six contractors [who contract migrant labor for farmers]  transported and held several dozens of migrants whom they recruited in Arizona in illegal and unsafe conditions and forced them to work to repay more than $1,000 each for the cost of their transportation, food, rent, and utilities. (Jim Lobe, OneWorld US, 1 July 2002)

Bonded Labor in Israel - The indenture of foreign workers to their employers: A policy and its consequences -...The Israeli government not only repeatedly allows the massive "import" of foreign workers, but it binds over each and every one of them to a specific employer. This gives employers untrammeled freedom to violate all the legal rights of the workers in bondage to them. Complaints to the police or to the Ministry of Labor about the criminal offenses of employers are almost always ignored. (Kav La'Oved Newsletter [Israel], July 2002)

Poor work conditions fuel unrest in China - The plight of millions of migrant workers toiling for meagre wages in southern China has been thrown under the spotlight by a three-day textile worker riot. It started after security guards beat up an employee for jumping a meal queue. (James Kynge, Financial Times, 29 June 2002)

Labor Ministry reinforces protection of migrant workers, temporary employees [South Korea] - The Korean government will toughen surveillance and crack down on illegal labor practices by employers in order to protect the rights of migrant workers and temporary employees, the Ministry of Labor said yesterday. (Korea Herald, 21 May 2002)

Chinese workers rally to demand back pay from toy plant: More than 300 laid-off migrants protested on Wednesday to demand back pay from a southern China toy plant where they had toiled under sordid conditions that led clients to cancel their orders...Multinational firms such as Mattel Inc., MGA Entertainment and Wal-Mart Stores Inc had cancelled their orders with the plant after receiving reports of squalid conditions, China Labour Watch said. (Reuters, 10 Apr. 2002)

Opposition urges government to protect rights of migrant workers [South Korea]: The opposition Grand National Party urged the government yesterday to work out measures to better protect rights of migrant workers here. The party said illegal foreign workers are suffering from a variety of abuses such as delays in payment, labor exploitation and physical assault due to their defective legal status. (Korea Herald [South Korea], 9 Apr. 2002)

Civic Groups Condemn Abuse of Chinese Migrant Workers [South Korea]: Civic groups in South Kyongsang Province gathered yesterday in Pusan to denounce a local tire manufacturer accused of violating the basic rights of Chinese migrant workers through unfair contracts. (Soh Ji-young, Korea Times, 4 Apr. 2002)

Deaths of Hispanic workers soar 53% [USA]: The Labor Department is intensifying efforts to stem an alarming rise in workplace deaths among Hispanics...At least 815 Hispanics died on the job in 2000, mostly in construction trades and often because of language gaps between supervisors and immigrant workers (Jim Hopkins, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2002)

MEXICO-U.S.: U.N. Expert Wraps Up Mission On Migrants' Rights -...Besides risks the migrants and smugglers take which threaten the migrants' safety, they are also at risk of being subjected to forced labor, and children in particular are at risk of being sold into prostitution or forced into pornography, Rodriguez said. (Angela Stephens, UN Wire, 19 Mar. 2002)

Housing for Field Workers Eyed [Napa Valley, California]: In this conspicuously prosperous valley, home to a $4 billion wine industry, hundreds of migrant farm workers sleep in cars or under the stars. (Justin Pritchard, Associated Press, 4 Mar. 2002)

Migrants Fight for Wage Arrears before New Year [China] (China Labour Bulletin [Source: China news agencies], 19 Feb. 2002)

Migrant workers - Report of the Special Rapporteur, Ms. Gabriela Rodríguez Pizarro (United Nations, 15 Feb. 2002)

Malaysia says it will whip illegal immigrants: Malaysia said on Tuesday it will whip illegal immigrants and their employers to deal with the growing problem of foreign aliens, and has also introduced a "hire Indonesians last" policy (Jalil Hamid, Reuters, 6 Feb. 2002)

Worker's deaths [deaths of migrant workers in South Korea] meet official indifference [South Korea] (KOILAF [Korea International Labour Foundation] Labor News, 21 Jan. 2002)

Violence against women migrant workers - Report of the Secretary-General (United Nations, 9 Jan. 2002)

2001:

Migrants: ICFTU calls on Member States to ratify the conventions that protect their rights (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 17 Dec. 2001)

Internationally-recognised Core Labour Standards in Malaysia [refers to "serious problems of freedom of association, collective bargaining and discrimination, especially against migrant workers"] - In both the electronics and textile sectors, two of Malaysia’s largest export earners, workers have been dismissed or threatened with dismissal for their trade union activities. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 28 Nov. 2001)

UNI [Union Network International] General Secretary urges new deal for migrant workers:...UNI General Secretary Philip Jennings called for 'a global compact for a better understanding of globalisation and migration - an approach based on the human rights of migrant workers. (Union Network International, 27 Nov. 2001)

Middle East: Workers denied the most fundamental trade union rights - Between total bans or tight controls on their activities, the independent trade unions are virtually non-existent. Strikes are banned, there is no collective bargaining, migrant workers are exploited and persecuted…such is the gloomy picture painted by the ICFTU of the situation in the Middle East. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 11 Oct. 2001)

Migrating from Exploitation to Dignity: Immigrant Women Workers and the Struggle for Justice - An Interview with Miriam Ching Yoon Louie - Miriam Ching Yoon Louie is the author of Sweatshop Warriors: Immigrant Women Workers Take on the Global Factory. (Multinational Monitor, Oct. 2001)

Environmental Racism Shifts the Costs of Industry to the Poor: Environmental racism affects individuals, groups or communities differentially, based on race or colour. It combines with public policies and industry practices to provide benefits for corporations, while shifting the costs to people of colour. It influences local land use, the enforcement of environmental regulations, the siting of industry and the areas where people of colour live, work and play...Environmental racism manifests itself in the sub-standard treatment of workers. Thousands of farm workers and their families are exposed to dangerous pesticides on the job and in labour camps. These workers endure sub-standard wages and working conditions. But environmental racism also extends to the exploitative work environment of garment district sweatshops, the microelectronic industry and extraction industries. A disproportionately large share of the workers who suffer under sub-standard occupational and safety conditions are immigrants, women and people of colour. [article extracted from paper prepared for the World Conference on Racism and Public Policy in Durban from September 3-5, sponsored by United Nations Research Institute for Social Development] (Robert D Bullard [Director of the Environmental Justice Resource Centre at Clark Atlanta University in the USA], Mail & Guardian [Johannesburg], 24 Aug. 2001)

Toil and Trouble: Slavery is on the rise in China as the number of poor migrants increases. Beijing appears unwilling and unable to prevent it (Bruce Gilley, Far Eastern Economic Review, 16 Aug. 2001)

ILO report: Stopping Forced Labour (International Labour Organization, June 2001):

2000:

Saudi Arabia - Alone, afraid and abused: Migrant workers (Amnesty International, 2000)