Migrant Workers’ Information Center opens in Chisinau

Moldovan migrants can acquire more information about their rights when working abroad and receive free legal advice at the Migrant Workers’ Information Center (CIMM) that has opened in Chisinau on Friday, Info-Prim Neo reports. CIMM held a press conference on Friday to draw attention to the multiple problems and threats faced by Moldovan migrant workers, including the risk of forced labor. CIMM communication and public relations officer Tatiana Corai stated that migrant workers who don't know their rights are at the highest risk of falling prey to forced labor. “Every migrant worker must know that he or she has the same labor rights as any other worker in that country”, said Tatiana Corai. CIMM will offer information about working abroad and specifics about the legal environment of the emigrants’ destination, and how to establish a healthy working relationship with the employer and ensure decent working conditions. “People are used getting this kind of information from relatives, friends or the internet, and these are not always accurate sources. This is why the Moldovan citizens are facing a host of problems when they go abroad. We want our citizens to be well-informed when they choose to go abroad”, said Tatiana Corai. CIMM started publishing brochures about the rights of migrant workers in different countries to provide them with a large information pool, which will help them work within the boundaries of the law of the host-country. Tristana Masat, Country Program Director of the American Center for International Labor Solidarity, a CIMM partner, stated that offering information pertaining to the rights abroad is essential for migrants, and that through its activity, the center tries to ensure legal rights for migrants in all of the countries. Sue Longley, coordinator of the International Union of Foodworkers, another CIMM partner, said that in many cases migrants don’t seek help from law enforcement agencies because of their illegal status and also because they are certain that they won’t be helped. Migrants are recommended that, after they have secured a job in a foreign country, they join their specific union, because unions will help them benefit from the rights guaranteed by the collective work contract and even negotiate an individual contract with the employer. The Information Center for Migrant Workers is a union initiative working in partnership with the International Union of Foodworkers and the American Center for International Labir Solidarity.