Editorial
Free mobility of labour
Shorten the waiting time
It is good news. But just like common sense being uncommon, the obvious or the self-evident has often been consigned to a state of cultivated indifference. Plainly glossed over by those who have in them what it takes to change things around.So it is with a cautious sense of optimism that we greet the fourth WTO mini-ministerial decision at Livingstone in Zambia to endorse Bangladesh's motion for unfettered movement of labour from one place to another. It will be tabled at the full fledged ministerial meet scheduled for December 13-18 in Hong Kong. Bangladesh has raised the issue before. At the last LDC ministerial meet in Dhaka it was resolved that the issue of free movement of labour worldwide would be pressed at the relevant fora. It was placed at Cancun but to little avail. Besides, every time attempts were made to push the issue at a forthcoming summit or ministerial, the slated conference would willy-nilly get postponed. What the LDCs are merely asking for is temporary migration of natural persons who are driven by economic factors to seek employment abroad. They are in the less skilled category and therefore need preferential treatment with a human face. As a matter of fact, GATT allowed temporary movement of people from one country to another without any restrictions imposed on such migration. The developed countries have tried to undercut the agreement of the WTO ministerial on free mobility of less skilled labour instead of doing their part in helping to implement the agenda. For curious reasons they seem allergic or lukewarm to the idea. Two facts are established about the merit of Bangladesh's motion. First, migration of labour has immensely helped the economies of both sending and receiving countries. Secondly, according to a well-publicised recent study under the auspices of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), those employed from the LDCs in the less skilled category are mostly absorbed in the services sector. The implications are that the host countries need such people and that they do not rob the locals of any potential or real job opportunity. Labour, let's not forget, is a commodity. It's also a major, most vital, factor of production. If free, equitable and fair trade is what the WTO is all about then there is no reason why a consensus can't emerge on unfettered mobility of labour across the globe.
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