IUF

1. IUF The international union of food, agriculture, hotel, restaurant, catering, tobacco and allied workers • 363 affiliated trade unions in 120 countries Svetlana Boincean Cape Town, 2 December 2011

2. Agriculture – labour force • 1.3 billion people employed in agriculture – almost half the global labour force • more then 450 million waged workers (cc 40% of agr. workforce) • over 50% are women • Production and processing of many crops depend on migrant workers.

3. Employement in agriculture decreasing direct and full-time/seasonal formal employment increasing indirect, casual and informal employment - more workers are employed though middlemen, subcontractors, employment agencies, etc. Forcedlabour, bonded labour and child labour (132 million children aged 5 to 14) continue to be largely used

4. Labour standards? national legislations either denies the right to organise in agriculture, or excludes the sector from the relevant legal protections workers’ right to collectively bargain is denied in many countries. less than 20 % of agricultural workers have access to basic social protection only 5% have access to any kind of labour inspection system or legal protection of their health and safety rights only 14 countries have ratified the ILO Convention 184 on Safety and Health in Agriculture (170,000 work-related deaths annually, 40.000 deaths due to pesticides, 3-4 million poisonings) ILC 2008, Committee on rural development for poverty reduction recognised “decent work deficit” in rural areas

5. Unions strategies • Organising • Defending

6. Organising • Organising all workers, regardless of legal status • Produce leaflets in the languages of migrant workers • Cooperation between unions from origin and destination countries • Cooperation with NGOs • etc.

7. IUF Carter of Rights for Migrant Workers in Agriculture • No worker is an illegal worker • Equal pay and working conditions in line with those of nationals of the host country - “As trade unions representing workers in agriculture we are committed to fighting for these rights for all migrant workers, documented or undocumented.”

8. Defending • Include in the CBA equality principles for everyone • Promote direct employment • Represent migrants in negotiation and courts • Information before departure • etc.

9. Compensation for unpaid wage • 3 Polish workers employed at a vegetable grower’s farm in Sweden – earning 800 -1000 euro per month • joined the union after having worked for 3 months • after asked the employer to pay according to the CBA- the workers were given 10 minutes to leave the farm and the caravan they lived in. • Kommunal defended the workers and the parties agreed on 2.250 euro (including tax) to be paid to each worker

10. Almaty region of Kazakhstan provide model contracts assist with integration of migrant children into school work on elimination of migrant child labour assist in negotiation & defend migrant’s payment

11. More examples in the IUF handbook Workers and unions on the move Organising and defending migrant workers in agriculture and allied sectors

12. CONCLUSIONS • Workers, whether migrants or local, should enjoy the basic workers’ rights, including the right to join the local union. Thank you very much!