The Solidarity Center is part of an effort that brings together union, employer, and government representatives to improve working conditions for migrants in the Gulf States.
During the 97th Conference of the International Labor Organization in Geneva, the Solidarity Center, in partnership with the International Trade Union Confederation and the Building and Wood Workers International (BWI), convened an all-day forum on challenges facing migrant workers.
The 65 participants were representatives of trade unions, employers, and governments attending the ILO Annual Conference. They came from most of the 22 Arab League countries including Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Jordan, Iraq, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. In addition, there were representatives from Nepal, India, South Korea, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Representatives from the Arab Labour Organization, the ILO’s Migration Program, and the International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions also participated and gave presentations.
| |
|
 |
| |
|
|
| |
|
Migrant construction workers build a skyscraper in Dubai.
|
The forum, a follow-up to a groundbreaking panel discussion that had taken place a year before, aimed to identify broader legal protections for Asian migrant workers in the six Gulf Cooperation Council states, from the perspectives of both sending and receiving countries. An additional afternoon session focused on challenges in the fast growing construction industry, where most migrant workers in the GCC states are employed. At the end, participants developed a set of recommendations for moving forward.
The oil boom that began in 2000 fueled massive infrastructure investment in the Gulf region, and migrant workers are pouring in to take advantage of new job opportunities. Today, close to 15 million migrant workers from South and Southeast Asia are employed in GCC states—in white-collar jobs as engineers, contractors, and bankers, and in blue-collar jobs in construction, manual labor, and domestic service. Many women migrants, who traditionally could expect jobs only as domestic servants, are now employed in health care, tourism, and other sectors.
| |
|
 |
| |
|
|
| |
|
(Left to right) Tim Ryan, Solidarity Center Asia Europe Regional Office Director; Awadh Al-Mutairi, Secretary of Culture and Information Affairs, Kuwait Trade Union Federation (KTUF) and Director, Al Amel Magazine; and Liem Wol-San, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions. The KTUF has come out strongly for eliminating the sponsorship system in the Gulf, which enables employers to exploit migrant workers and control their movements.
|
India, the largest country of origin, supplies nearly five million workers; next are the Philippines with 2.5 million, Pakistan with almost two million, and Sri Lanka and Nepal with nearly a million each. Workers also come from Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, China, and Burma.
All GCC states are members of the International Labor Organization and therefore are bound to respect the ILO Core Labor Standards. But only a few countries (Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman) have developed labor law frameworks that allow for independent unions.
When a mechanic from Kerala, India, was hurt on the job, his injuries initially seemed minor. Unfortunately, his employer did not provide health care insurance for migrant workers, and the worker could not afford the medical fees. Infection set in, requiring follow-up care. He waited months for permission to travel back to his homeland for treatment, but by the time he arrived in Kerala, it was too late. He met an untimely death.
| |
|
 |
| |
|
|
| |
|
The ILO forum drew 65 participants from more than 20 countries.
|
Thanks to pressure from the BWI, which represents 12 million workers in 135 countries, and to global framework agreements established in the construction industry, a large European-based construction company in the Gulf region, has instituted workplace health and safety standards. Guard railings on high buildings, helmets, boots, and other safeguards have been implemented to reduce accidents. The company also has created an on-site clinic and has worked hard to improve conditions at the labor camps where migrant workers are housed.
“This employer has taken a step in the right direction to prevent unnecessary deaths,” said Solidarity Center Executive Director Ellie Larson, who moderated the forum. “Our goal is to raise awareness and to work with unions, employers, and governments through dialogue whenever possible to improve working conditions for all migrants.”
