We call upon more States to recognize the urgency of addressing wage theft and to take immediate and
extraordinary measures and publicize them in order to resolve this issue before it grows out of proportion.
Online complaint procedures, task forces, mobile courts, speed resolution arbitration bodies, collective bargaining,
and labour law reforms, are but a few examples of what needs to be done. It is also important to stress that
whatever mechanisms put forward must fully take into consideration its accessibility for women, particularly
domestic workers.
States must reiterate to employers that wage theft will not be tolerated and take steps to hold employers
accountable through administrative, civil and criminal actions. Specifically, governments should be called on to
provide inclusive solutions that address the conditions of domestic work and workers. Enforcement measures
against employers will serve as a deterrent to wage theft practices.
We renew our call for States to set up sub-commissions at national level that look at the need for a reform of the
justice system wherein migrant workers will not have to endure wage theft as the most significant recurring issue
in any given year. We also appeal for the process of enabling the workers to give a power of attorney before they
leave the country so that their claims for the statutory dues could be pursued in their absence as it becomes difficult
to issue a power of attorney after they leave the country.
The United Nations Secretary-General has emphasized that we cannot go back to the failed policies that have
resulted in the fragility we see around us - in healthcare systems, in social protection, in access to justice.
As Member States prepare for the Regional Reviews on the implementation of the GCM, we call upon all States to
share the exemplary and extraordinary measures they have taken in addressing the concerns of migrant workers in
the time of the COVID-19 pandemic and particularly around wage theft and access to justice.
As States come together in the GFMD 2020 preparatory process focusing on Governance of Labour Migration and
Protection Gaps, we call upon all stakeholders to hold a dedicated discussion leading to the adoption of an action
oriented resolution to address the issue of wage theft and access to justice.
We have heard too many stories of migrant workers and the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on their lives and
livelihood. Listening Sessions must move towards transformative action or else we succumb to the paralysis of
inaction, questioning our capacity to be able to respond in critical times.
We must act and act now to ensure justice for migrant workers.