Illustrative image (Photo:hanoimoi)The Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) jointly held a national conference in Hanoi on August 28 in preparation for the 8th ASEAN Forum on Migrant Labour, slated for Malaysia from October 26-27.
The event looked back at the country’s implementation of recommendations of the seventh forum and proposals for the upcoming forum, with the focus on labour safety and hygiene to promote a safe working place, and labour inspection to ensure the essential rights of workers.
Dao Quang Vinh, deputy head of the ministry’s International Cooperation Department, said that this year’s forum has the theme of integration governance towards better employment and common prosperity in the context of the formation of the ASEAN Community at the end of this year.
The Officer-in-Charge of the ILO Country Office in Hanoi, Simrin Singh, stated that the ILO is paying greater attention to the importance of migrant labour management and protection.
The organisation is developing an extra work plan to support work programmes involved in migrant labour, social welfare, labour safety and tripartite dialogue of ASEAN labour ministers.
According to statistics, the number of foreign migrant workers in ASEAN has increased nearly fourfold from 1980. It was estimated that more than 10 million foreigners worked in the region in 2013, 87 percent of them holding low- and medium-skilled jobs. Most low-paid migrant workers are vulnerable to exploitation, and more than 60 percent of them are not covered by social insurance.
There are now nearly 500,000 Vietnamese people working in 40 countries and territories around the world. Statistics of 2012 showed that 26 percent of Vietnamese overseas workers were employed in ASEAN countries.-VNA
