A/79/159
platforms to reach out and organize domestic workers, allowing them to exchange
important information and report cases of exploitation and abuse. 93
E.
Inspection of working and living conditions and facilitation of
access to justice and remedies
26. Inspection of workplace and housing is essential in identifying instances of
contemporary forms of slavery, and workers’ organizations make an important
contribution in this regard. 94 Some, like those in Switzerland, take part in awarenessraising and other activities in order to train labour inspectors, 95 and others go out to
workplaces and inspect working conditions in collaboration with Governments and
other stakeholders. In Sweden, organizations affiliated with the Swedish Trade Union
Confederation collaborate with the Government to inspect work sites and employers
suspected of exploitation. 96 Similarly in Pakistan and India, some workers’
organizations conduct regular visits to work sites in order to monitor working and living
conditions, which have produced positive results in sectors such as agriculture. 97 In
addition, the Canadian Labour Congress actively facilitates the enforcement of
Government requirements for housing provided to migrant workers, 98 while another
encouraging global initiative emanates from the International Transport Workers’
Federation which employs full-time inspectors as union officials who inspect ships in
over 120 ports in 57 countries. 99
27. Once labour and wider rights violations are discovered, workers’ organizations
help workers to access justice and remedies. They often represent or assist workers in
litigation, promote dialogue with employers, and report human rights abuses through
the ILO supervisory system, the national contact points of the Organisation for
Economic Cooperation and Development or the United Nations human rights
mechanisms. 100 As an example, organizations such as the Hari Welfare Association in
Pakistan promote access to justice for workers at risk of bonded labour in agriculture
and fisheries, through collaboration with the judiciary, ombudsperson offices and
independent commissions at the district and provincial levels. 101 In Hong Kong, China,
the Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Unions manages cases involving migrant
domestic workers of various nationalities in order to recover and retain excessive
agency fees. 102 Similarly, the Association of Nationalist Overseas Filipino Workers in
Malaysia (AMMPO) and the Indonesian Migrant Domestic Workers Association
(PERIMIG) address grievances from domestic workers through a 24-hour hotline,
social media and other channels in close collaboration with local organizations, trade
unions, embassies and authorities to provide a variety of services. 103 In the United
Kingdom, UNISON has a welfare fund, which provides emergency financial support
for its members and for workers to access free legal support. 104
__________________
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
12/21
ILO, Organising women migrant workers: Manual for trade unionists in ASEAN (2021), 141.
Submission by Central Única Dos Trabalhadores.
Submission by Switzerland.
Submission by Swedish Trade Union Confederation.
Submission by Hari Welfare Association.
Submission by Canadian Labour Congress.
Submission by International Transport Workers’ Federation; and “About the Inspectorate”,
available at https://www.itfseafarers.org/en/focs/about-the-inspectorate.
Submissions by Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions; International Transport Workers’
Federation; Nigeria Labour Congress; and labour organization Force ouvrière.
Submission by Hari Welfare Association.
Submission by International Domestic Workers Federation.
Ibid.
Submission by York Centre for Applied Human Rights; and https://www.unison.org.uk/gethelp/services-support/there-for-you/financial-assistance/.
24-13043
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