FENASOL rebuttal of ministry’s rejection of the newly formed trade union for migrant domestic workers

Following the statement by the Ministry of Labor rejecting the legitimacy of the trade union of migrant domestic workers, the President of the General National Federation of Trade Union of Workers and Employees in Lebanon (FENASOL), Castro Abdallah, declared that the legitimacy of such trade union is not bestowed by the Ministry but rather by the fact that there are some 250,000 migrant domestic workers who do not enjoy their basic rights.  He compared the trade union to an “illegitimate child” denounced by the father but who cannot be denied the right to life.  Abdallah described the decision by the Ministry to withhold authorization for this new trade union as baseless.  He also questioned the legitimacy of authorizing, on the other hand, owners of employment offices the right to set up their union.  Abdallah wondered how traffickers can have the right to unionise.

According to Abdallah, the position of the Ministry is in total violation of international labor codes 87, 97 and 189 and of the International Human Rights Charter and the International Covenant of Social, cultural and economic rights.  He also added that the Ministry is also in total contradiction with the Cabinet which voted for the international convention for decent work number 189 at the 100th session of the ILO in June 2011.  Abdallah concluded by saying that the demands of migrant workers are economic and are within the remit of union work, hence the importance of creating a trade union which would protect their rights.  He also noted that the emerging trade union will also include Lebanese workers.

(Source: As-Safir & Al-Akhbar 28 January 2015)

 

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