CNI News
17 Mar 2023
The National Unity Government has not done enough for Myanmar migrant workers, Myanmar labour activists who have been helping them told the CNI.
Labour Activist Ko Thar Gyi from Thailand told the CNI that the NUG should make further efforts to offer effective assistance for migrant workers and to be recognized as a legitimate government by Thailand.
He told the CNI, "To be frank, the NUG is very weak in offering assistance to Myanmar migrant workers. Its performance is unsatisfactroy. As the government has to carry out tasks in multiple sectors, it is very difficult for the NUG to tackle labour issues, a field in which they are not competent. The minister, the deputy minister, the director-general and staff of the NUG labour ministry are very incompetent in offering assistance to migrant workers. I am talking about the situation on the ground."
However, he said that he had seen NUG labour officials holding negotiations with their Thai counterparts several times over the issues of Myanmar migrant workers.
Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand.
As South Korea is a country respecting human rights, centres and NGOs offer assistance to solve the issues of migrant workers, In-charge Ko Khant Nay Kyi of the Assistance Centre for Migrant Workers in Busan told the CNI.
He said, "There are government-funded labour protection centres in every town in South Korea. They offer assistance to solve the issues of migrant workers including wages, physical abuses, changing jobs and healthcare insurance. The Myanmar embassy never offers assistance to Myanmar workers. As the centres and NGOs are offering assistance, the junta embassy or the NUG ministry are not likely to cooperate with us significantly.
However, he admitted that he sometimes has to cooperate with the embassy and the NUG labour ministry is also offering assistance in some cases.
Supporters of the NUG.
To effectively offer assistance to Migrant workers, the NUG needs to replace all people from the labour ministry with new ones, Ko Thar Gyi added.
He said, "All staff the NUG labour ministry has sent to Thailand for migrant workers should be replaced with competent one because it is a country with the largest number of Myanmar migrant workers. I am saying so not out of prejudice. We will have to solve the problem by using whatever means we have. The government elected by us should be far-sighted and know the situation on the ground case by case. It should employ staff who are competent."
Large numbers of Myanmar migrant workers are leaving the country due to economic and wage issues.
Most of them have left for Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan while many more are applying for passports to leave the country.
