Culmination Conference of the PSI Project on Decent Work and Social Protection for Migrant Workers in the Public Services (Philippines)

International migration is an enduring feature of globalization. People move for various reasons, but most of them migrate to access decent work and to improve their living conditions. In 2015, the United Nations estimates that there are around 244 million international migrants, of whom over 150 million (62%) are migrant workers, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO). While labour migration can positively contribute to the economic and social development of countries, it also comes as a consequence of the asymmetries in development between rich and poor countries, with workers struggling to find work elsewhere. While PSI continues to defend the human rights of all migrants in the migration process, it is also working to address the root causes to improve economic and social policies, so that migration becomes an option, and not the only choice.

The PSI Project on Decent Work and Social Protection for Migrant Workers in the Public Services, is a three-year project (2014-2016) of the PSI involving trade union affiliates in the pilot countries, namely: Philippines, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and Sierra Leone, which aims to promote access to decent work and social protection for migrant workers in the public services by working towards the following results:

Expected Results

1. Migrant workers in the public services have access to decent work and social protection with the support of the unions.
2. Unions contribute to reforming the labour recruitment industry through the promotion of ethical recruitment and compliance with UN and ILO standards.
3. Unions embark on innovative ways to reach out to and organise migrant workers.
4. Unions contribute to improving the global governance of labour migration through the promotion of rights-based labour migration policies, decent work and access to quality public services for all.

In implementing the project, affiliates set up National Working Groups (NWG), formulated country work plans and carried out project activities. The conference serves as the culminating activity of the project, where representatives of the national working groups come together to:

1. Showcase PSI’s project achievements carried out at the national, regional and global levels in promoting decent work and social protection for migrant workers;
2. Identify current and future challenges;

3. Work towards building PSI's next programme of action on migration and refugees. 

Given the increasing displacement phenomenon that is occurring worldwide, with 65 million people forcibly displaced in 2015, PSI's future migration work will expand to include refugee and displacement issues, both human-made and climate-induced displacement.

The conference will also launch key campaigns of the project, culminating the work over the last three years, and paving the way to the future work of the PSI on migration and refugee issues. These campaigns are the following:

1. PSI No Recruitment Fees Campaign
2. PSI Study on the Privatisation of Migration and Refugee Services
3. PSI Migrant Information Kits

For more information, including the programme click here.