Global Unions consolidate strategy to promote migrant workers’ rights | WPN World People News

Global Unions will implement a joint strategy to defend and promote the rights of migrant workers around the globe, and this includes the rights of educators working across national borders.

The joint strategy was discussed at a meeting of the Global Unions Migration Group, held in Geneva, Switzerland, on 8 December 2014. The strategy is based on the outcomes and recommendations of the Global Unions Forum on “Migration: a decent work issue”, held in at the same venue in June this year.

The Global Unions plan to secure decent work for migrant workers by putting pressure on governments to ratify and implement the ILO and UN Conventions on Migration, in particular, ILO Conventions 97 and 143, and the UN Convention on the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families. To that effect, the Global Unions will identify at least 10 target countries for the ratification campaigns. The Global Unions will also confront issues around recruitment practices and tackle racism and xenophobia. They will also advocate for migration issues to be included in a new global development strategy after 2015.

The Global Unions also discussed a joint strategy for the next Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), which will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, in October next year. The Working Group members also met with the Secretariat of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to share information and explore areas for further consolidation of ongoing work. In its capacity as chair of the Global Migration Group (GMG), the ILO has been championing the development and implementation of the Fair Recruitment Initiative which seeks to promote cross-border recruitment based on International Standards.

Welcoming the joint Global Unions strategy on migration, EI General Secretary, Fred van Leeuwen, stressed: “Education International will continue to defend and promote the rights of migrant teachers and all education personnel”. Van Leeuwen went on to say that earlier this year EI launched a web portal for use by migrant teachers and those intending to migrate. “The web portal is an important platform for sharing information and resources which will help empower educators working across national borders”, he said.

Source: Education International