Calls for further protection for migrant workers
Myanmar’s preeminent trade union confederation has called on the government to take action to protect migrant workers from exploitation and unfair treatment abroad. Daw Htwe Htwe Thein, a director of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Myanmar, called for stronger regulation of employment agents who recruit and send Myanmar nationals to work overseas. Of the difficulties faced by migrant workers, Daw Htwe Htwe Thein said, “Most migrant workers travel abroad illegally. Many of them are from the rural areas and have very little knowledge, meaning that they are heavily reliant on brokers. They often pay large sums of money to these brokers.” “Some workers who initially travel and work legally eventually become illegal because they overstay their visas in order to earn enough money to pay back the fees they owe to brokers. Many of those who return also have debts that they owe to brokers,” she added.
