ĐÀ NẴNG — Ministers of labour from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Việt Nam (CLMTV) –agreed to improve their migration management system and share responsibilities in contributing to safe labour migration.

The reaffirmation was included in the CLMTV joint declaration on safe labour migration at the 2^nd Ministerial Conference on Labour Co-operation in CLMTV in Đà Nẵng yesterday.

The ministers also committed to boosting information exchanges, and encouraging legal cross-border workers and employment through bilateral agreements among the five countries.

Officials said each country must protect the rights of migrant workers and prevent human trafficking and illegal migration.

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam said labour migration is inevitable and crucial for economic development in CLMTV.

He said migrant workers had boosted the economic growth rate from 6 to 8 per cent in each ASEAN country, and labour migration in CLMTV had increased by six times compared to 1990.

“Although earning positive growth over past decades, migrant workers created big challenges for every country in the region such as human trafficking and crimes resulting from illegal migrant labour,” Đam said.

“The five countries should promote education and vocational training for labourers and exchange information or experience in management of migrant workers.

“Migrant workers must be given fair treatment like indigenous workers in each country. We should also boost dialogues on problems and risks at forums in ensuring social security and the rights of migrant workers.”

Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Doãn Mậu Diệp, who chaired the conference, said the joint declaration on safe labour migration will improve co-operation among CLMTV in the context of globalisation.

“Each country committed to proper actions in dealing with risks that migrant worker face. Participating countries also agreed to build a common mechanism in supporting migrant workers,” Diệp told Việt Nam News.

“Deputies also raised the need for each country to develop its national policies on labour migration, including the recruiting, sending and receiving procedures, to be in accordance with international standards to promote safe labour migration,” he said.

Diệp added members of participating countries stressed pre-departure education of employment contracts, skills, languages, laws, work disciplines and prohibitions in the countries of destination to avoid conflicts between migrant workers and local employers.

The five countries also agreed to monitor the treatment of migrant workers to ensure they are protected by laws and regulations.

The joint declaration also concerned the sharing of information among sending and receiving countries in CLMVT in the implementation of International Conventions and Recommendations on promoting decent work for migrant workers.

According to the Ministry of  Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs of Việt Nam, about 80,000 foreigners work in Việt Nam, while more than 600,000 Vietnamese labourers work aboard.

Taiwan is the most popular destination for Vietnamese migrant workers with 70,000, while Japan hosted 40,000.

Việt Nam inked an agreement with Laos on migrant employment from 1995, and the country has been co-operating with Thailand in expanding employment in different fields such as construction and fishing.

Việt Nam and Thailand have also offered favourable conditions for migrant labourers.

Thailand’s Minister of Labour, General Sirichai Distakul, said Thailand has been doing its share to promote safe and orderly migration and legal employment.

“Our collaborative effort to promote safe and orderly migration is to ensure that all the workers residing in Thailand can enjoy full legal protection and are entitled to all the rights and responsibilities as stipulated by the law,” he said.

“Migrant workers contribute greatly to our economic growth, and action plans have been made and skills training curricula for workers, trainers and assessors are also specially designed to reflect the training needs,” he added.

The Thai Minister also said the newly implemented law concerning foreign workers’ employment and related measures aims to combat human trafficking and illegal employment.

Myanmar has drafted new laws and amended laws in accordance with international practices and standard, according to the ministry of labour, immigration and population of Myanmar.

Minister of Labour and Social Welfare of Laos, Khampheng Saysompheng, said Laos has been committed to reflecting the resolutions of ASEAN Meetings, particularly the ASEAN Declaration on protection and promotion of rights and interests of migrant workers.

He said Laos had agreed memorandum of understandings on migration with Thailand and Việt Nam to protect the rights of international migrant workers.

Việt Nam has offered skilled labourers from foreign countries working in high-tech industries and in the fields that the lacks high-quality manpower. — VNS