“The Migrant Workers Rights” Multi-Stakeholder Roundtable Discussion

Contributed by Vilashini Vijayan

The Fair Labor Association (FLA) and the Malaysian Bar Council jointly organised a multi-stakeholder Roundtable Consultation in Kuala Lumpur on 5 August 2009. 29 participants attended the Roundtable including representatives from the FLA affiliated brands and suppliers as well as local migrant rights organizations and trade unions.

The Roundtable was organised by the Subcommittee on Migrants, Refugees and Immigration Affairs which is chaired by Dato’ Ramachelvam. The objectives of the Multi-stakeholder Discussion were to:

-Promote dialogue among diverse stakeholders around migrant rights issues and working conditions in the apparel sector and from a factory-level perspective;

-Identify root causes of migrant rights issues in the workplace; and

-Develop a consensus on priority issues and the next steps.

After the welcome address by Dato’ Ramachelvam, Auret van Heerden CEO and President of the FLA, explained the background of FLA. He said that FLA was an association of multinational brands, suppliers, NGOs and universities committed to improving working conditions around the world.

The keynote address was delivered by Dato’ Ramachelvam. In his presentation entitled “The Legal Framework for Migrant Labour”, Dato’ Ramachelvam explained the historical background of migrant workers in Malaysia and identified some of the major issues including the problem of outsourcing agencies, migrant workers being denied the right to join trade unions and the lack of a comprehensive labour policy in relation to migrants.

The keynote address was followed by a prioritizing of risk factors in the various stages of the employment life-cycle of migrant workers.

The Roundtable generated much healthy discussion and concluded with five specific recommendations for the way forward in the areas of: (a) recruitment, (b) employment, (c) employment/recruitment agencies, (d) health care and (e) arbitrary cancellation of work permits.