.
In Tamil Nadu State in India, BWI Affiliate TKTMS led State-level Migrant Workers Rights Coalition convened a well-attended high-level stakeholders’ meeting on 4 July 2019. The Protector of Emigrants (POE), Chennai; Deputy Director, Commissionerate of Rehabilitation and Welfare of Non-Resident Tamils; Deputy Director of Employment; Administrative officer, Overseas Manpower Corporation Limited, senior representatives from Non-Resident Tamils, Tourist Travel Association and Tamil Nadu Construction Workers Welfare Board were present. From the TKTMS, around 200 district-level union representatives across the Tamil Nadu State took part.
During the meeting, collaboration between the POE and union representatives working in various districts of Tamil Nadu State was discussed. Following these discussions, it was agreed to raise and address issues concerning migrant workers to promote `safe migration’. It was further proposed to develop a specific memorandum on migrant workers’ issues that included union’s demand to establish information desk for migrant workers upon departure at key airports and submit it to the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.
This meeting helped the TKTMS to raise the unions’ concerns with important stakeholders and to further highlight their broad-based campaign on migrant workers’ rights by expanding its network and forging new partnerships.
Ponkumar, President, TKTMS commented, “‘This is an important step towards further strengthening the work of Migrant Workers Rights Coalition to collectively push for `safe migration’ and ensuring the rights of migrant workers at every step of their migration journey - recruitment, pre-departure, transit, work in destination country, return and reintegration.”
