Publications by Tag: Labor Migration
Blog
Understanding the Plight of the Young Worker in China
Cherry Lin, Project Assistant
As the Chinese economy continues to develop, new issues have arisen around the relationship between employers and young employees in the manufacturing sector. To understand these issues, the China National Textile and Apparel Council and the Center for Child-Rights and Corporate Social Responsibility came together in July 2011 to examine the plight of young migrant workers in six different factories. The initiative was carried out with support of the Swedish Embassy, and ultimately offered advice for employers to improve management strategies by enhancing communication with young workers. Read more
Migration and Development: Whose Responsibility Are They Anyway?
Jennifer Schappert, Associate, Advisory Services
The question of whose responsibility are migration and development was asked repeatedly during the recent Global Form on Migration and Development (GMFD) multi-stakeholder meeting. The meeting, hosted by BSR, the Swiss Foreign Ministry, and the World Trade Institute, brought together approximately 100 representatives from business, government, and academia to discuss the links between migration, trade, and development and to examine the role of each actor in promoting the human development of migrant workers. Read more
The Truth About the Migrant Worker Recruitment Process
Guy Morgan, Director, Advisory Services
Last week, Laura Ediger and I were in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia, to study the recruitment process of semi-skilled workers who migrate to Malaysia each year to work in the ICT and apparel sectors. As part of our Migration Linkages initiative which seeks to uphold the rights of migrant workers in global supply chains, we are looking at countries of origin to understand the process by which workers find jobs, sign contracts, and leave their villages on extended work visas abroad. Read more
Migration in the Middle East: The Case of Oman
Guy Morgan, Director, Advisory Services
Before leading a workshop on migrant worker issues for the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Muscat last weekend, I sat down with Beate Andrees from the ILO Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labor (which sponsored the event) to consider, “What would success look like?” In a country whose labor force is largely composed of semi- and unskilled expatriate workers (around 80 percent of whom hail from India), we concluded that just having a workshop that got business representatives in the sultanate to engage in a discussion—any discussion—about this topic would be a major achievement. Read more
How Business Can Link Migration and Development
Guy Morgan, Director, Advisory Services
The Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) took place last week in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Chad Bolick and I were "expert observers" (as opposed to “delegates”), representing BSR at the GFMD Civil Society Days (CSDs)—the two and half days set aside for representatives from civil society organizations (academics, NGOs, development institutions, non-profits, and the odd company) to discuss the challenges of migration and its impact on development outcomes. The CSDs preceded the GFMD Government Days (GDs) which took up the rest of the week. Read more
Safeguarding the Movement of Migrant Workers
Chris Nolan, Manager, Advisory Services; Guy Morgan, Director, Advisory Services
International labor migration is a burgeoning byproduct of globalization, with more than 214 million migrant workers worldwide. As emerging economies continue to grow--despite the global downturn--an increasing percentage of these workers are moving between developing countries and, in many cases, having their fundamental rights undermined during the recruitment and employment process. Read more
Migration in the Middle East: On the Ground in the UAE
Guy Morgan, Director, Advisory Services
On the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, I was given the great honor of delivering a presentation on CSR and employees at the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi. The presentation was part of a seminar sponsored by Eta Ascom Star Group, UAE to look at the issue of mental health among migrant workers in the Emirates and intended to offer insights into what leading companies around the globe are doing to support and protect their employees. The seminar was eye opening for a number of reasons. Read more
Keeping Up With the New Generation of Workers in China
By Jeremy Prepscius, Managing Director, Asia, and Helen Zhang, Administrative Assistant
An interesting article (article is in Chinese) recently published by the All-China Federation of Trade Union (ACFTU) explores the differences between the new generation of migrant workers in China—defined as rural, migrant workers who are 16 years old or older—and their parents’ generation, in terms of their backgrounds, their work-life expectations, and their awareness of labor rights. Read more
HERproject: Making Women’s Health Care a Global Reality
Aron Cramer, President and CEO
Ever since Al Gore was focused on NAFTA, not climate change, debate has raged over whether globalization has helped or hurt workers, communities, and national economies. One question in particular has been front and center: what about the treatment of workers in the thousands of factories that make products for western consumers? But too often, the particular needs of women driving the global economy have been overlooked. Read more
People of the Years to Come?
Aron Cramer, President and CEO
Time magazine is a conventional publication which gives a conventional accolade (“Person of the Year”) to typically conventional candidates. It recently named Ben Bernanke as Person of the Year 2009. Read more
Losing a Friend and Colleague: Neil Kearney
Aron Cramer, President and CEO
Neil Kearney, the general secretary of the International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers' Federation, the main global apparel workers' union, died unexpectedly today in Bangladesh at age 59. Read more
BSR Insight Articles
Partnership Innovation: It Takes a Supply Chain to Improve Women’s Health
Over the past six weeks, I have traveled from meeting to meeting in Washington, D.C., Bangkok, and Geneva to develop opportunities for BSR to partner with funders and others to provide resources to tackle challenges as diverse and broad as childhood nutrition, climate change adaptation, and energy efficiency. These discussions have gotten me thinking about the importance of innovative partnerships in addressing big challenges, and how business can be more effective in its work with government, civil society, and even private funders. Read more
Promoting Human Rights in Saudi Arabia: A Strategic Role for Business
Chhavi Ghuliani, Manager, Advisory Services
Recently, BSR visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as part of a U.S. State Department project to promote CSR and human rights in the region. While there, BSR led: Read more
The Role of Business in Linking Migration and Development
Guy Morgan, Director, Advisory Services
BSR participated as an expert observer at the Global Forum on Migration and Development earlier this month in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Together with representatives from academia, NGOs, development institutions, and nonprofits, we discussed the challenges of labor migration and development. BSR helped convene a panel on “Building Partnerships with the Private Sector” at the event, based on our white paper on the topic. Read more
Actress and Activist Challenges Us to ‘Engage When the Going Gets Rough’
The BSR Conference 2010 plenary and I³ sessions featured global experts who shared ideas on how to integrate innovation into strategy and core business. Read more
How Sustainability Can Transform the Travel and Tourism Sector
Kara Hurst, Vice President
In the past, social responsibility in the travel and tourism sector was equated with “ecotourism.” However, companies such as Accor, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, and Starwood are now implementing innovative solutions that also reduce the environmental impact of their operations, save money, and benefit local economic development. Read more
Malaysia Reconsiders Right-to-Work Policy for Refugees
In an attempt to mitigate labor shortages and improve its image as a rights-respecting nation, Malaysia—an important country to global supply chains—is considering granting refugees the right to work, which would allow companies operating in the country to directly recruit migrant workers living in Malaysia. This could help companies reduce their reliance on an international recruitment process that can be risky and expensive for both business and workers. The government's move is supported by some Malaysian civil society organizations and the Malaysian Trades Union Congress. Read more
A Visit to Saudi Arabia: Key Trends in CSR and Human Rights
On our recent trip to Saudi Arabia, we received a refresher lesson on globalization as soon as we stepped off the plane. In this conservative country steeped in Arab and Muslim history and tradition, all the big American and European retail chains are well represented, and you can neatly divide the young professionals into Blackberry and iPhone camps. One of our business meetings even began with a question about whether we had seen a recent edition of Oprah. More importantly, we found that another core element of globalization—corporate social responsibility (CSR) —is increasingly viewed as a key driver for global competitiveness of Saudi business. Read more
Global Forum Advances Protection for Migrant Workers
By Nicolette van Exel
During the Global Forum on Migration and Development—held in Athens, Greece, earlier this month—civil society, governments, and business came together to discuss a collaborative approach to informing government policy to protect global migrant workers. Read more
Working with Governments to Protect the Rights of International Labor Migrants
By Nicolette van Exel
Labor migrants represent roughly 3 percent of the world's population and constitute a large and vulnerable segment of companies’ workforces. However, legislation in emerging economies fails to protect foreign contract workers adequately, and companies are often unaware of violations. Read more
ILO Experts Guide Companies on Best Labor Practices
Are workers in your supply chain free to organize? What can you do to prevent trafficking of migrant labor? These questions and more can be answered by the new International Labour Organization's (ILO) HelpDesk—a free and confidential service that can help your company align its operations with the ILO's socially responsible labor principles. Read more
Events
BSR Conference 2011: Leadership Required
Leadership in business is changing fast. In today’s global, integrated, and transparent world, business is expected to do more than deliver shareholder returns. At its best, business is a creative force and an integral player in delivering prosperity for 9 billion people, applying game-changing technologies for social benefit, and radically reducing our use of natural resources. Learn more
Reports
Good Practice Guide: Global Migration
This report provides policy guidance on all key international labor migration areas for international companies, employers, and contractors. This collection of what BSR considers “good practice” is not an auditable standard and is not a substitute for company codes of conduct. This document will evolve as the dialogue on international labor migration evolves. Read more
Supply Chain Sustainability: A Practical Guide for Continuous Improvement
More and more companies are extending their commitment to responsible business practices to their value chains, from subsidiaries to suppliers. They do so not only because of the inherent social and environmental risks and the governance challenges the supply chain poses, but also because of the many rewards supply chain sustainability can deliver. Indeed, sustainable supply chain management can be a strong driver of value and success--for business as much as for society. Read more
International Labor Migration: The Responsible Role of Business
With 90 million people migrating globally for work every year, learn about the key migration trends that affect your company—and the solutions for improving working conditions along your supply chains. Contact us to learn more about this initiative or get involved in our working group. Read more
A Glimpse into the Future: A Survey of Food and Agriculture Industry Key Trends
This report reviews some of the key CSR trends emerging for the industry in the coming three to five years and point to implications for company practices. Read more
Changing Labor Demograhic Trends and Their Implications for Responsible Business
Case Studies Report
Driving Innovation Through Partnerships
Since BSR’s founding, we have been strongly committed to achieving our mission through powerful partnerships. BSR’s Partnership Development team is dedicated to catalyzing collaboration between business and social and environmental innovators in the public and nonprofit sectors to make progress on systemic sustainable development challenges. Learn more
Defining the Role of Responsible Business in Protecting International Labor Migrants
An increasingly vital part of the global workforce, labor migrants now comprise approximately 190 million people, or about 3 percent of the world population. These migrants—many of whom are moving “South to South,” between emerging economies—often arrive in destination countries heavily indebted, with limited knowledge of local languages, laws, and culture, and with restricted access to protection. As a result, they are vulnerable to a number of human and labor rights violations, including passport withholding, bonded labor, broken contracts, and nonpayment of wages. Learn more
Other Publications & Events Tagged, Labor Migration
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- BSR Insight Articles [ 10 ]
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- Case Studies [ 1 ]
- Events [ 1 ]
- Research Reports [ 5 ]
- Sustainable Investment in China Article [ 0 ]
- Sustainability Matters [ 0 ]
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