Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 30 / Trend U. Ismayilova /
The Azerbaijani Trade Unions Confederation intends to sign several agreements in 2011 with similar structures in the CIS countries for the bilateral protection of migrant workers' rights, Confederation Chairman, Sattar Mehbaliyev, said on Thursday.
"The main purpose of such agreements is to identify violations of Azerbaijani labor migrants' rights in other countries," Mehbaliyev said.
He added the confederation revealed evidence of serious human rights violations, as well as the absence, of normal conditions in connection with Azerbaijani labor migrants in Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina. As a result the organization concluded bilateral agreements in the field with these countries.
A similar agreement has already been signed with Russia, and in 2011 the confederation is expected to conclude an agreement with Belarus, as well as with the majority of the CIS countries. Azerbaijani migrants prefer to work in these countries mostly, Mehbaliyev said.
Over 200 million people in the world do not live in their own countries, and 95 million of them are migrant workers, he said. In particular, 418,000 migrant workers left Azerbaijan in 1999-2007, while 425,000 arrived. Of them 58 percent went to work in Russia, 10 percent to the Ukraine, 4 percent to Georgia and 3 percent went to Kazakhstan and other countries, he added.
Mehbaliyev said a large influx of foreign migrant workers was observed in Azerbaijan. Consequently, the country established a migration service, developed the Law "On Migration," and took several other measures in this area.
Regarding the situation in the country's labor market, Mehbaliyev said compared to previous years, the protection of workers' rights improved in the country's labor market, and violations were nullified in some companies.
Along with this, the main disturbances relate to the late payment of wages, as well as double-entry bookkeeping by some employers.
The confederation is constantly raising activities among employees to strengthen their demands for the elimination of double accountancy in the future.