Migrant Workers in Asia

 

 

Migration has been an integral part of human existence. Cultures and civilizations developed not in isolation but through constant interaction of movement of peoples. However, migration today is radically different; the magnitude of people migrating is unprecedented. This is what has been called the ‘age of migration’ (See Book Review: The Age of Migration, on page 30 of this issue). Never before have so many people left their native lands because of economic deprivation, dislocation by war, persecution or ecological catastrophes.

 

As of 2005, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimated that there were 191 million international migrants worldwide, constituting about 3 percent of the global population. In Asia alone, there were 50 million international migrants accounting for 29 percent of the global migrations (IOM, 2006). Excluding refugees, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that of the 86 million migrant workers worldwide, 22.1 million were economically active in Asia (ILO, 2004:7). Economic labour migration has become a significant factor for the understanding of contemporary society in the age of globalization.

 

I dedicate this talk to the memory of Ka Bel – Crispin Beltran - a friend and comrade who passed away in the Philippines in May 2008. His humanity, hunger and commitment to social justice, and lifelong, principled and militant opposition to imperialism are already sorely missed by so many who had the privilege to know him.

 

This gathering is even more significant now considering that the meeting will be held in Manila, Philippines – a country known for its decades-old export of labour and ranks among the top labour-sending countries and is one of the biggest recipients of remittance from overseas nationals. From the estimated 10 million Filipinos working in other countries across the globe, remittances sent in 2007 reached US$14.4 billion.

 

This article looks at the recent trend towards greater exploitation and control of migrant workers in South Korea, placing it within the context of the nation’s overall foreign labour policy. It also briefly discusses migrant workers’ unionizing and its relationship to the mainstream labour movement.

 

Trafficking takes place to some extent in all the countries of Asia. The decision to migrate is often far from a perfectly ‘voluntary’ one, in the sense that poverty, lack of education and job opportunities, and continuing disappearance of lands and means for self-subsistence compose a substantial ‘push’ factor compelling people to take the great risk of migrating for work.

 

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Asian Labour Update