Labor & Employment Law

Report: Unions Can Win Battle Against Forced Labor

By James Parks

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) last week released a new report showcasing the most successful union strategies in campaigns to eliminate forced labor, child labor and human trafficking. “How to Combat Forced Labor and Trafficking” highlights lobbying, advocacy, raising awareness, offering services and assistance and organizing domestic workers into trade unions.

On any given day, as many as 12 million men, women and children around the world are working as forced laborers, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO). Between 40 percent to 50 percent of the victims are children. Last year, the ILO estimated that one out of every five forced laborers in the world is the victim of organized human trafficking. The cost of forced labor to the workers in lost wages is nearly $21 billion each year, the ILO says. For more information, check out ITUC’s website on forced labor: www.ituc-csi.org/forcedlabour.  

ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder says:

Globalization and the growing gap between rich and poor countries have boosted migration for work, and with restrictive migration regulations in place, much of it is clandestine and abusive. During centuries past, European ships provided colonial settlements in the Americas with African slaves. Today there are labor brokers who are supplying industrialized labor markets with workers from the developing world who are forced to accept any terms and conditions of transportation and work. Trafficking of workers is the third biggest business for organized crime after the drugs and arms trade.

The AFL-CIO Solidarity Center is working around the world to eliminate all forms of worker exploitation and to build support for workers’ rights. In partnerships with workers, trade unions, governments and civil society coalitions, the Solidarity Center creates community and workplace-based safe migration and counter-trafficking strategies that emphasize prevention, prosecution and protection.

In May 2007 the ITUC established a first-of-its-kind Global Trade Union Alliance against Forced Labor and Trafficking, with support from the ILO. Juan Somavia, ILO’s director general, said:

Modern forced labor can be eradicated, providing there is a sustained commitment by the international community, working together with governments, employers, workers and civil society.

A unique feature of the report is a “world forced-labor map,” which shows whether a particular country has ratified ILO Conventions 29 and 105 on forced labor. The United States ratified both conventions in 1991 and companion conventions 138 and 182 on child labor in 1999. The map also provides information on the most prevalent forced labor issues in each region and highlights some of the trade union activities already undertaken to fight forced labor. Click here for the map and here to read the report.

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on June 21, 2010 (boomark / email).