By Michael Oche
The African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) has reiterated its commitment to working with stakeholders, including government and recruitment agencies to address the challenges of exploitative and unethical recruitment practices faced by migrant workers across Africa.
ITUC-Africa General Secretary, Akhator Joel Odigie stated this at the closing of a three-day capacity building workshop for trade unions members, with support from the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The workshop which held in Nairobi, Kenya brought together trade union members, representatives of recruitment agencies, media professionals and migrant workers to discuss unified advocacy messages that reflect their collective action towards promoting fair recruitment practices.
Odigie, while explaining why trade unions are stepping up campaign on fair recruitment practices, said recent trends show that thousands of African workers continue to be lured into precarious jobs abroad, often burdened by excessive fees, deception, and abuse that violate their fundamental rights.
He said this actions have continued to be perpetrated by unregulated recruitment agencies, noting that there’s an urgent for collective actions to stop it.
Specifically, he pointed to challenges such as contract deception, kafala system and other abuses of labour and human rights faced by African migrant workers who migrant to the Middle East and Gulf Cooperation Council states.
“These migrant workers from Africa that have gone there, face a lot of issues; and in interrogating the issues, we found that most of them happen, let’s say, 70% happen from home, 30% are what you see in countries of destination,” Odigie said.
To counter these challenges, ITUC-Africa said it is rolling out new advocacy campaigns aimed at educating potential migrants about fair recruitment, pushing governments to tighten regulations, and engaging directly with recruitment agencies to promote ethical standards.
Odigie said trade unions will not continue to lament about the challenges faced by migrant workers of African descents, but will work towards proffering actionable solutions.
“The business of complaining, of lamenting about the problem and not finding solutions is not helpful to anyone,” he said.
The general secretary said trade unions will target governments and recruitment agencies in its advocacy
He said ITUC-Africa is confident that “if we can really deal with issues from countries of origin, we are confident that we will substantially reduce the infractions against the rights of migrant workers.”
Participants at the workshop said these steps are critical not just to protect African workers abroad, but to uphold dignity, justice, and decent work for all.
