IOM backs pilot project for Asian migrant workers' benefits

MANILA, Philippines — A pilot project seeking to increase benefits of labor mobility in Asia received the backing of the International Organization of Migration (IOM).

The project, launched in Manila by the governments of India, the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was announced at the Global Forum on Migration and Development.

"Its objectives include the development of more transparent recruitment processes, contracts that are fully understood by the workers, pre-departure orientation and an end to the charging of excessive or illegal recruitment fees," IOM said in an article on its website (www.iom.int).

The IOM said it is backing the project, which will focus on introducing policies to improve the recruitment of temporary contractual workers, their working and living conditions in the UAE, and their economic and social reintegration when they return home.

The initiative is a practical outcome of the Abu Dhabi Declaration signed by 20 Asian migrants sending and destination countries in January 2008.

Under that agreement, signatories will observe multilateral cooperation to protect the rights of temporary contractual workers, while enhancing their contribution to both their countries of origin and destination.

Every year, almost three million Asian contract workers travel to Asia, Europe and North America. Many arrive in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, which include the UAE.

The pilot project will identify and test best practices in the administration of the temporary contractual employment cycle focusing on a selected group of some 3,000 Filipino and Indian workers in the construction, health care and hospitality sectors.

Better mechanisms including post-arrival counseling and hotline assistance will also be created for workers to resolve issues associated with their contracts and unsatisfactory working or living conditions.

Overseeing the project will be a steering committee made up of representatives from India's Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), the Philippines' Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and UAE's Ministry of Labor (MOL), together with the International Labor Organization (ILO), the Arab Labor Organization (ALO) and IOM.

Parties to the Abu Declaration are 11 countries of origin:
Afghanistan; Bangladesh; China; India; Indonesia; Nepal; Pakistan; Philippines; Sri Lanka; Thailand, and Vietnam.

Countries of destination include: Bahrain; Kuwait; Malaysia; Oman; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Singapore; United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. - GMANews.TV

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