The Thai Union (TU) has announced that it will eliminate recruitment fees for all workers in its factories and processing plants.
It will be effective immediately for all future recruitment workers from within Thailand and from overseas.
This follows the continued development of an ethical migrant worker recruitment policy and the news has been welcomed by the Migrant Workers Rights Network (MWRN).
Dr Darian McBain, global director of Sustainable Development, said: “TU’s ethical migrant recruitment policy has already been applied to the use of agents for all migrant worker registration processes in Thailand.”
“One of the key platforms in developing a truly sustainable future is the need for all employees to have access to safe and freely-chosen employment.”
In recent months the TU has focused on reducing the potential for abuse and extortion by agents and brokers in recruitment of migrant workers.
Andy Hall, MWRN’s international affairs advisor, said: “Not only have MWRN’s team of migrant worker leaders had an opportunity to observe positive practices which benefit TU workers, but we also found a strong cooperation and a willingness to fix compliance and welfare concerns we raised.”
Thai Union has been working with MWRN’s leadership since 2013 to address migrant worker concerns about conditions Thailand’s major export factories.
Since January 2016, Thai Union and MWRN formally launched a cooperation project to validate progress in addressing remaining concerns in migrant worker’s conditions in these factories.
