Article by Nursyaizan Jasni, Officer, Bar Council Migrants, Refugees and Immigration Affairs Committee; and photos by Satha Selvam Subramaniam, Senior Administrative Assistant, Bar Council Secretariat
On 24 Sept 2019, the Bar Council Migrants, Refugees and Immigration Affairs Committee held a multi–stakeholder workshop in collaboration with Ethical Trading Initiative ("ETI") and Our Journey, entitled "Access to Remedy for Migrant Workers in Malaysia". The workshop took place at the Swiss–Garden Hotel Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.
The objectives of the workshop were as follows:
(1) Sharing of the action plan and the objectives to be achieved, using technology as well as the introduction of access to remedy principles;(2) Sharing of recruitment practices and other challenges, by the rubber and furniture industry players, and trade union and civil society representatives;(3) Discussion on good practices, sharing of resources and exchange of ideas and suggestions to support migrant workers and employers, to foster better working relationships; and(4) Collation of recommendations with the involvement of the voices of migrant workers in the mechanism.
The workshop was attended by 45 participants from numerous organisations. The topics were as follows:
(1) Migrant workers' rights and remedies –– key issues and challenges;(2) Progress, good practice, challenges and priorities to reduce risk and vulnerability of migrant workers in Malaysia: stakeholder panel;(3) ETI's "access to remedy programme"; and(4) Access to remedy ("A2R") principles, programme approach and technology platform.
The workshop concluded with closing remarks by Cindy Berman of ETI.