May 24, 2024
VIENTIANE – The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare has said Laos will partner with other countries in the region to uphold the rights of Lao nationals working in these countries.
Laos’ intentions in this regard were made clear during the 7th Senior Labour Ministers Meeting on the Portability of Social Security for Migrant Workers in the CLMTV Countries, which took place in Vientiane via video link.
The CLMTV grouping comprises Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Director General of the ministry’s Labour Management Department, Mr Oudone Maniboun, said “Migrant workers play an integral part in both the sending and receiving countries.
Our economic security has benefit tremendously from their labour and their security is now in our hands more than ever.”
The meeting discussed ways to better safeguard migrant workers’ rights, with country representatives sharing their experiences and making suggestions in addition to discussing practical issues relating to development in the CLMTV countries.
Mr Oudone said “Migrant workers, unlike their domestic counterparts, face a number of issues unique to their status when finding employment in a country beyond their home.
Some of these challenges are linked to social security schemes, which are designed to protect the health and safety of all workers, including migrants.”
“Accessing these services may prove monumental at times, because of the different backgrounds of our countries, and our economies and paths of development which led to differences in the design and implementation of social security schemes,” he added.
“We, as ASEAN member states, must continuously provide unending support to this issue, as demonstrated by the adoption of the ASEAN Declaration on the Portability of Social Security Benefits for Migrant Workers.”
“Since our last meeting as a collective in 2019 in Cambodia, which led to the creation of the Siem Reap Roadmap towards the Labour Ministerial Declaration on the Portability of Social Security for Migrant Workers in the CLMTV Countries, many world events have occupied our focus and time, leaving this work on the proverbial back seat.
Some have new leaderships, some have new colleagues, but many remain familiar faces.”
“Let us take this opportunity to enrich our discussions with your knowledge and experience, and hopefully contribute to the swift adoption and implementation of the CLMTV Labour Ministerial Declaration on the Portability of Social Security for Migrant Workers for the benefit of our people,” Mr Oudone said.