The role of ASEAN trade unions and their coordination in protecting the rights of international migrant labourers are in the spotlight at a seminar in Hanoi from July 16-18.

The event, jointly held by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL), sees the participation of trade union leaders from Banglades, Cambodia, India, the Republic of Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam.

In his opening remarks, ILO Country Director in Vietnam Gyorgy Sziraczki underlined the need for countries that receive migrant workers to fully grasp international labour conventions and recommendations to effectively control the flux of migrants and ensure this vulnerable group’s safety.

He emphasised trade unions’ important role in encouraging governments to join and implement the International Conventions on Migrant Workers, the ILO Convention on Migration for Employment and the UN International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

Discussions at the event will focus on issues regarding the migration trend and related challenges in ASEAN as well as the role of trade unions in building migration policies and ensuring the rights of the workers.

Connectivity among trade unions in the region and their cooperation in the field are also tabled at the event.

According to the ILO, the number of cross-border migrants who want to find jobs abroad is on the rise, with an estimated 105 million people worldwide are working in a foreign country.

Half of them are women and more than 30 million come from the Asia-Pacific region, the organisation said.-VNA