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Decent work and social protection for migrant workers

15 July 2015
Migration pre-decision kits for Indian & Filipino health workers
PSI launched its pioneering migrant information kits in a public symposium held in Manila, the Philippines’ capital. The Philippines is a major source country of migrant workers, a huge number of whom are nurses, and health and care workers.

PSI represents around 7 million health and social care workers globally, or one-third of its membership.

Attended by more than 60 representatives* from trade unions, government agencies, employers, recruiters and civil society organizations, the symposium was organized by PSI to highlight and disseminate best practices in promoting decent work and social protection for migrant workers. The activity is part of PSI’s Project on Decent Work and Social Protection for Migrant Workers in the Public Services.

“Too often lack of adequate information on migration has placed a staggering number of overseas Filipino workers in vulnerable and risky economic and social situations,” says Annie Enriquez-Geron, Vice President of PSI Asia Pacific region.

Countless migrant workers have fallen victim to illegal recruiters and traffickers due to lack of information. Many migrant workers have unrealistic expectations and insufficient information about recruitment procedures, employment and living conditions abroad, labor laws, workers’ rights in countries of destination and social costs of migration.

“Access to information is important so that migrant workers in public services can make informed decisions and avoid fraudulent recruitment practices,” says Enriquez-Geron.

Recognizing the need to provide accessible, rights-based, country-specific, skill-specific, and gender-responsive information materials for migrant health workers, PSI worked in partnership with the International Labor Organization (ILO) Office to pilot a set of migrant information materials that cover all the stages of migration including pre-decision, pre-departure, arrival and onsite, and return and reintegration. The kits were developed through the ILO Decent Work Across Borders Project with funding from the European Union.

*PSI affiliates in the Philippines Alliance of Government Workers in the Water Sector (AGWWAS), Alliance of Filipino Workers (AFW), Confederation of Independent Unions in the Public Sector (CIU), Manila Water Employees Union (MWEU), Maynilad Water Supervisors Association (MWSA), Philippine Government Employees Association (PGEA), Philippine Independent Public Sector Employees Association (PIPSEA), Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK) were actively involved. Joining them are sister unions TEHY of Finland and the German affiliate Ver.di.

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