- Conference
- 2006 National Delegate Conference
- Date
- 24 February 2006
- Decision
- Carried
UNISON warmly welcomes the enormous contribution that workers from overseas have made to our society. In particular we welcome their contribution to the effective running of our public services and to the diversity of our culture.
In an increasingly globalised world the rate of labour migration has risen dramatically and is likely to continue to do so. But in welcoming new migrants to our country we cannot ignore the enormous impact that migration is having on the countries they leave, especially in the developing world. Health services are stripped of their professional staff to the point that they cannot provide even the
most basic level of treatment; schools are robbed of their teachers with a consequent fall in availability of places, and local and central government can no longer function effectively as qualified staff move overseas. Given UNISON’s committment to help in the battle against HIV/AIDS in southern Africa we are extremely concerned about the impact that labour migration is having on the health infrastructure in developing countries.
Conference therefore:
1)welcomes the work UNISON is doing on labour migration and
urges the National Executive Council to produce further material which supports the rights of migrant workers and highlights the devastating impact
that labour migration is having on the developing world;
2)supports the European Year of Workers’ Mobility 2006, to raise awareness and increase understanding of labour migration in Europe;
3)urges UNISON to work with international and national trade union
centres to develop a common strategy on the rights-based approach to
labour migration;
4)calls on the British government to urgently review its policy on labour
migration, including the mandatory application of the ‘Code of Practice for
the international recruitment of healthcare professionals’ to private
recruitment agencies as well as the NHS, and to build labour migration
issues into all aspects of development work;
5)calls on the International Financial Institutions to abandon loan
conditions which prevent the employment of health care workers
in developing countries;
6)urges the UK government to help strengthen public services in
developing countries through targeted and equitable development
assistance.