NGO-Labor Union Cooperation in the Promotion of the Rights and Interests of Landbased Overseas Filipino Workers

Abstract

The promotion and protection of the rights of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Philippines is carried out by a broad and dynamic community of NGOs, both church-based and secular, and organizations of OFWs, returnees and OFW families. Linked with the struggle of other marginalized sectors in the country for emancipation from poverty and democracy, these organizations forge solidarity with other social movements through multi-sectoral networks and alliances. The labor movement, which technically should include OFWs, has been a relatively late stakeholder in the advancement of the OFW agenda. This paper discusses the approaches and strategies the migrant sector has evolved since the 1980s, and why major labor centers have not addressed OFW issues in a strategic and sustained way. It highlights social movement unionism for NGO-labor union cooperation in promoting and protecting the rights of OFWs. The partnership of the Alliance of Progressive Labor, a Philippine-based labor center, and the Asian Migrant Centre in Hong Kong suggests promising developments.