Coalition on Labor Justice
for Migrants in the Gulf
There are at least 31 million migrant workers in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries – and across the region, migrant workers have limited ability to freely exercise their fundamental rights as workers. Many are exposed to forced labor and other forms of exploitation and labor rights violations.
The Coalition on Labor Justice for Migrants in the Gulf is an international coalition of human and labor rights organizations, migrant rights organizations, and independent trade unions. Together, we are calling on governments and employers to respect the agency of migrant workers in the GCC countries to exercise their fundamental human and labor rights throughout recruitment, migration, employment, and return.
We directly engage with workers and bring forth transnational pressure to ensure that the needs, rights, and dignity of migrant workers are guaranteed and respected – specifically workers employed in domestic work, hospitality, and construction sectors.
GCC countries have begun to change their laws to address widespread concerns about the conditions for migrant workers in the region and reform the kafala system, in which workers’ visas are tied to one employer. Yet these legal reforms have not led to substantive change for workers in practice.
Workers report systemic labor rights violations in the GCC. Workers report facing workplace violence, unpaid wages, and occupational health and safety risks that are exacerbated by the impacts of climate change. Workers also report exploitative recruitment practices, barriers to access to justice in the GCC, and severe restrictions on workers’ rights to freely form and join trade unions and collectively bargain. Civil society and trade unions in the GCC countries have limited ability to advocate for the rights of migrant workers.
Addressing workers’ rights violations in the GCC requires united, direct action led by global worker organizations.
By directly engaging with migrant workers across migration corridors and bringing forth transnational pressure, our Coalition is united to ensure that the rights, needs, and dignity of migrant workers are guaranteed and respected.
The Coalition’s advocacy is grounded in workers’ experiences, international standards, and research-based evidence, and we conduct our work through:
Gathering evidence from migrant workers through investigative research and focus groups
Continuously engaging and consulting with migrant workers in GCC countries and in countries of origin to ensure Coalition actions are grounded in workers’ needs and experiences
Employing legal and policy advocacy tools in international law including business and human rights standards to hold states and employers accountable for treatment of migrant workers
Coalition Leaders
Recent Coalition Activity
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DIGNITY FOR MIGRANT WORKERS: Documenting Deaths in War
The Coalition is creating a centralized, public record of migrant workers who have been killed amidst the war across the Middle East. We seek to to dignify the lives of those workers killed and to make more visible the impact of the war on migrant workers, highlighting the urgent need for action.
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URGENT CALL TO ACTION: Solidarity with Migrant Workers and Demands Amid Escalating Conflict in the Middle East
The Coalition stands in unwavering solidarity with the migrant workers across the GCC countries, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and Iran who face extreme risks due to the escalating war following the U.S. and Israel’s military campaigns in Iran and Israel’s bombing of Lebanon, and the spreading violence to neighboring countries.
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Coalition delivers speech to UN on outcome of Qatar’s Universal Periodic Review
This week, Martha Waithira, a former domestic worker and an investigator with Equidem, delivered a statement at the 58th session of the Human Rights Council on behalf of the Coalition about the outcome of Qatar’s fourth UPR.