Protect migrant workers in Australia
15 December 2009, 02:35PM
Migrant workers need the same protection as all other workers in Australia © mugley (Flickr)Every day, most Australians rightfully go to work without fearing exploitation, harassment, or that they will be maimed or killed. That’s the way working life in our country is meant to happen, and it’s protected by law.
But there is one group that continues to be at risk.
Migrant workers who have come here to fill skills gaps or to satisfy unskilled labour demands are among the most vulnerable groups in our society. The Australian Human Rights Commission says that many migrant workers are "vulnerable to workplace exploitation, including discrimination, due to a limited knowledge and understanding of Australian workplace rights, limited English language, and the ongoing reliance on a sponsor for their visa status".
These realities lead to migrants working in dangerous conditions without adequate safety protection, and being employed in otherwise degrading situations.
There is a solution to this problem. Australia can show that it takes the safety and vulnerability of migrant workers and their families seriously by signing the international Migrant Worker’s Convention - the only major human rights convention that we have not signed.
Act now - sign our petition
Join us now and sign your name to the petition on the right of this page, urging the Australian Government to ratify the Migrant Workers Convention.
Signatures will be delivered to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
Most of the over 200 million migrants throughout the world are migrant workers and their families. These vulnerable people deserve the same protection as everyone else - Australia, sign the Migrant Workers Convention.
Sign Our Petition
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