ILO Report Highlights Impact of Pandemic on Migrant Workers Jobs, Rights and Personal Life

• As per the new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has impacted economies, lives of people in all the nations around the world, significantly it has affected in many ways the lives of the migrant workers worldwide.
• The reports also highlight that these workers were targets of discrimination, exploitation and xenophobia.

• Numerous migrant labourers were confronted with repatriation without any protocol or system to help them. Many had their jobs suspended or ended as the virus surged in 2020, leaving them without a source of income.

• Others had their pay rates reduced to half or were required to take a few months leave without pay.

• Imposed measures like border closures or nationwide lockdowns in many countries left thousands of migrants stranded in a foreign land without any source of income or shelter.

• Left with no job and any financial support to leave their work city or country, eventually many had to take a loan from their employer, friends, or family to travel back home.

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• Those who managed to return home were had to go through strict quarantine since they were suspected of carrying the virus.

• This was especially the situation in nations that utilize more labourers—Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Italy, the United States, and Saudi Arabia.

• Aftermaths of the Pandemic impacted all strata of lives and jobs from garment factory workers, restaurants, hotel staff, malls, airlines and tourism.

• The garment workers from various nations like Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, And Bangladesh as several garment companies got shut amid the Covid-19 outbreak. The supply chains of different famous fashion brands experienced significant losses.

• Migrant labourers were frequently barred from COVID-19 protection kits made accessible to public servants, such as essential medical services, health and security measures and compensation for job loss. This left them more unsafe to the covid crisis.

• The ILO report calls for ensuring migrant workers’ rights and incorporates some particular suggestions:

• Nations and states must include migrant workers for all COVID-related recovery and health-related packages.

• Execute Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) measures to provide equal health treatment to them and the nationals and guarantee safety from harassment at work and gender-based discrimination.

• Guarantee that all migrant labourers, including those in irregular employment, have an accessible or affordable complaint and other conflict resolution devices.

• Audit and upgrade ties to contain robust systems to ensure that workers are impacted by unexpected financial shocks work with their protected return.

• Nations must provide equal medical treatment to migrant workers, similar to national workers.

• Guarantee that workers don’t have to pay for covid related expenses on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), inoculation, tests, quarantine and so forth), adhering to the General Principles and Operational Guidelines for Fair Recruitment and Convention No. 181.

• Recruitment agencies should acquire measures to support, manage, and monitor migrants during the pandemic.

• Assure that recruitment agencies distribute correct information to all migrants on health and safety protocols.