In line with this, the measures below offer a number of concrete and tangible steps countries
must immediately take in order to effectively address wage theft:
Countries of Origin
With repatriations happening at such an unprecedented scale, countries of origin have a
fundamental role to play in ensuring repatriations and reintegration take place in safety, dignity
and in the respect of migrant workers’ rights. This has never been more important.
First, document and do so accurately: One of the greatest barriers to addressing the cases of
wage theft is the lack of a rapid, systematic collection and registration of information. In the
rush to repatriate, neither countries of origin nor the countries of destination have been able to
successfully capture the scale of the phenomenon of wage theft experienced by migrant
workers. Cases of wage theft continue to be under-reported and remain unaddressed: there is
a lack of official, reliable documentation that is key to prove migrant workers’ cases. To this
end, missions of countries of origin are urged to put in place robust and easily accessible
reporting systems to document whether migrant workers have been paid their due wages and
benefits upon termination of their employment contract. To document accurately, missions
should set up an online complaints mechanism, a walk-in option, and a 24 hour hotline.
Importantly, migrant workers must be allowed to file a grievance even in the absence of formal
employment documentation, as the employer may have refused to provide it.
Second, lighten the burden of accessing justice: Collection of documentation must be
accompanied by practical actions. Missions of the countries of origin must intervene to
facilitate power of attorney procedures prior to initiating any return procedures for those
workers who have not received their due wages or benefits. This will ensure that workers are
able to access justice even after their return to their countries of origin. Where workers prefer
to remain in the country of destination until their cases are resolved, missions should provide
workers with the necessary assistance.
Countries of origin must set up booths at local airports and quarantine facilities to give
returning workers the opportunity to register claims upon arrival to the country of origin.
Once migrant workers have returned, countries of origin must ensure that they continue to
have the opportunity to come forward and register their claims and grievances, for free. To