Fiji has done well to protect the rights of migrant workers in the country and does not discriminate against them.
The Minister for Labour was responding to the address of the ILO Director-General Mr Guy Ryder on labour migration.
The Ministers were informed that Fiji has proactively ensured that a host of socio–economic rights have been made available for our citizens and that all of these would apply to migrant workers. Fiji is one of the few countries in the world that provide these rights to its citizens in our Constitution.
These socio-economic rights include the right to an adequate standard of living and the right to a clean environment. In addition to these rights the people who live in Fiji, both citizens and non-citizens, have a greater right to access to justice through the extended and constitutional role of the Legal Aid Commission.
Similarly, all rights of workers under the labour and OHS laws apply equally to migrant workers. Our law enforcement officials have implemented these laws seriously and such implementation has resulted in victim compensation and criminal sanctions.
The Minister also said that large numbers of our own nationals are themselves migrant workers and he expressed concern that Fijian workers were not given the same protection that the laws of Fiji provide.
Fijian workers are often susceptible to exploitation and are vulnerable due to the lack of laws in other countries to protect them. Remittances from labour migration have proved to be the second largest contributor of foreign exchange for Fiji. The Minister however expressed concern on the cost of sending remittances to Fiji.
The Minister also pointed out that Fiji is sometimes over reliant on skilled workers from other countries and that these expatriate workers do not always help us to develop our own skills in Fiji.
The Minister acknowledged the value of the seasonal work schemes available for the Pacific Islanders in more developed countries, saying that such schemes help to diminish the significant rates of unemployment amongst Pacific Islanders.
The Minister highlighted that although the rich countries have benefitted from the large Pacific ocean resources, the Pacific Islands find it difficult to access these markets for employment opportunities and trade in services.
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