Organising Migrant Workers

Date: 01 February 2008

Organising Migrant Workers

An Executive Council Statement to the 2008 Annual Delegate Meeting – Organising Migrant Workers.

Organising migrant workers is a key challenge facing Usdaw. Usdaw has a choice - organise migrant workers or see existing pay and conditions undermined by a decline in levels of Usdaw membership. A trade union is only as strong as the levels of union membership in the workplace. We need to have the goal of organising all workers in the workplace.

The growth of the globalised economy means that the world is seeing an increasing internationalised workforce. More and more UK workers are living and working abroad, and we are inevitably seeing more migrant workers in the UK.

Migrant workers are here to stay and we need to welcome and organise migrant workers into Usdaw. The workforces in our workplaces are becoming more diverse and to continue to be an effective trade union Usdaw needs to reflect that diversity.

Some workers fear the arrival of migrant workers but the interests of existing workers will be best protected by organising the new workers to ensure that employers are unable to erode pay and benefits. Trade unions have a responsibility to ensure that the most vulnerable sections of the workforce get a fair deal from the employers by organising all sections of the workforce.

This ADM Statement is an important policy statement committing the Union to a strategy of organising migrant workers. The Statement dispels some of the myths and misconceptions about migrant workers, identifies good practice in organising migrant workers and highlights some of the key issues for the Union.

The Union faces specific challenges over the use of agency labour. Usdaw believes agency labour should be limited to covering business fluctuations and short-term gaps. We are committed to organising agency workers as agency workers deserve a better deal and by organising agency workers we will prevent existing terms and conditions from being undercut.

The Union will continue to work with the TUC to push for the introduction of an Agency Workers Directive that will guarantee agency workers the same terms and conditions as permanent employees.

Migrant workers are now a significant part of the workforce. Usdaw is committed to organising all the workforce in our workplaces. This document is an important re-statement of the Union's commitment to organising migrant workers.

Organising Migrant Workers was correct at date of publication February 2008.

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© 2003 (USDAW) Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
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Last Modified: Friday, 03-Oct-2008 01:46:58 EST