
In a world marked by a series of crises and disasters, social inequalities continue to increase. While the global economy is just beginning to recover from the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the consequences of climate change, the latter serve as reminders to all international stakeholders that urgent issues demand sustainable solutions. Among these challenges, the situation of migrant workers holds a crucial place and requires special attention in the reconstruction of a fairer and more balanced global order.
Migrant workers, often vulnerable and exposed to precarious working conditions, play an essential role in many economies, contributing to the prosperity and development of their host countries. However, they face systemic challenges such as exploitation, discrimination, and gaps in the protection of their fundamental rights.
In this context, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has issued an advocacy for a new social contract for migrant workers. The document starts with emphasizing that despite the numerous economic benefits that migration brings, several governments persist in treating this issue as a threat to the security and professional stability of their nationals. Yet, migrant workers face a threefold higher risk of forced labour than their non-migrant counterparts. This reality stems from various factors, including unregulated or poorly managed migration, as well as ethically questionable recruitment practices. According to assessments, just over 4 out of every thousand non-migrant workers are victims of forced labor in the private sector, while this figure rises to 14 in a thousand for migrant workers.
Highlighting that current national laws and regulations do not offer adequate protection to migrant workers, the ITUC, therefore, calls for “a new global social contract to make the economy serve humanity and save people and the planet from the threat of destruction, encompassing all migrant workers worldwide, regardless of their status or employment relationship.” Specifically, the ITUC advocates for the establishment of a new social pact based on the six major demands of workers: climate-friendly jobs, rights for all workers, vital minimum wages, universal social protection, equality, and inclusion.
The ITUC calls for the creation of 575 million new jobs and the regularization of at least half of the two billion informal jobs by 2030. This initiative is of paramount importance for migrant workers, who are among the groups most severely affected by job losses and income disparities, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This new social contract is built around a crucial set of principles to shape a respectful and equitable work environment for migrant workers. These pillars encompass the fundamental right to freedom of association and collective bargaining, as well as the eradication of forced labour, modern slavery, and child labour. It, also, requires non-discrimination in all aspects of employment, including wages, access to social security, portability of social rights, and lifelong learning opportunities. Ensuring safe and healthy working environments is imperative, as is the establishment of a professional world free from violence and harassment. Adequate minimum wages, limitations on working hours, fair recruitment, and effective remedies for labour rights violations, such as wage theft, are also at the core of these pillars. The contract also emphasizes freedom of movement within and beyond national borders, as well as the freedom to terminate an employment contract and change employers. These fundamental elements represent the ITUC’s vision for a just and human rights-respecting world of work.
Noting that, according to the World Bank, 22% of migrants do not have any social safety net, whether in their host or home countries, and only 55% of them have access to social protection when residing in destination countries, the ITUC advocates for the establishment of comprehensive social protection, accompanied by the creation of a dedicated Global Fund for social protection for the least privileged nations. Social protection policies and initiatives must encompass migrant workers and their families, both in their countries of origin, to support returning migrants, and in the countries where they work, as emphasized in the report.