The representatives of Global Union Federation (GUF) affiliates and trade unions, gathered in Bogor, Indonesia on 9-11 February 2009, to convene a regional workshop on Trade Unions and the ASEAN Regional Economic Integration. TF AMW make presentation on the Civil Society draft "Framework Instrument." Some of the GUF trade unions are already network members of the TF AMW. [ More... ]
On behalf of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Louise Arbour, I would like to express our gratitude for the invitation to this regional workshop, which we think is a step forward towards increasing international cooperation on human rights issues in general and the rights of migrant workers in particular. [ More... ]
Migrant workers, especially those in lower skilled and lower paid jobs, can be potentially vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous employers or employment agents. Both the source and host countries have a part to play to strengthen the regulation and management of such workers. [ More... ]
In 2005 the total number of migrants originating from ASEAN was estimated at 13.5 million, 39 per cent of whom were in other ASEAN member countries. In 2006 more than 148 million of ASEAN’s 262 million workers did not earn enough to lift themselves and their families above the standard US$2 per person per day poverty line.
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The ASEAN Service Employees Trade Union Council (ASETUC) joined the civil society organizations (CSOs) in urging ASEAN to promulgate a binding instrument for the protection of the rights of migrant workers including "non-discriminatory" national treatment for migrant workers as regards wages and working and living conditions.
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The Consultation discussed two major concerns: the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and the Framework for Cooperation between ASEAN NGOs/TUs in the Quest for the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers. More than forty (40) delegates from twenty-four (24) NGOs and trade unions from eight ASEAN countries (Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) attended the consultation along with representatives from the Task Force, ASETUC, UNI Apro, ILO Jakarta Office, SEARCH (Canada), UNCHR Malaysia Office, and the Philippine Embassy in Malaysia. [ More... ]
