Extended Summary

International migration, which has become a global phenomenon, has multidimensional, deep and permanent effects on the labor markets of destination, transit and origin countries. In particular, irregular migrant workers are excluded from social protection, basic rights regarding labour market, and they have economic and social disadvantages such as unemployment, poverty and social exclusion. The interests of migrant workers are not adequately represented in the labor market, and irregular migrant workers are concentrated in precarious, low-paid and informal jobs, they are exposed to serious social rights violations and exploitation in working life, and they cannot access decent working conditions. Trade unions have an important role in both the legal establishment of the rights of migrant workers and the implementation of these rights. It is assumed that both international and national unions adopt a rights-based approach to the organization of migrant workers. Despite this assumption, the relationship between unions and migrant workers is often uncertain and contradictory as a result of universal international solidarity and tensions between migrant workers and domestic workers in the national labour market. This study aims to reveal the different policies and activities of unions towards migrant workers by considering the relationship between migrant workers and unions within the framework of social rights and the dilemmas faced by unions.

Trade union rights of migrant workers are regulated in the basic human rights documents of international organizations and basic documents on migrant workers. The basis of the approach of international basic human rights documents regarding migrant workers is the principle that all people, whether they are citizens or not, should benefit from human rights simply because they are human. However, despite this basic principle, the trade union rights of migrant workers have not been universally accepted by irregular migrant workers. At the national level, there are differences between the regulations of the countries regarding the union rights of migrant workers, and in some countries, unionization of migrant workers, especially irregular migrant workers, is not allowed. Union membership is important for migrant workers to benefit from social rights in the target country and to ensure their economic and social adaptation to these countries. In terms of unions; organizing migrant workers is important in terms of increasing the number of members, eliminating competition between domestic workers and migrant workers, and representing all workers regardless of race, language, religion or origin. However, the relationship between unions and migrant workers has always been full of tensions and dilemmas, and union strategies for migrant workers have always been a controversial issue in the history of the labour movement. Today, the problem of migration and migrant workers is growing and the conditions of irregular migrant workers are getting worse in every aspect with the increasing migration. Unions have important duties in this regard so that the gap in rights between migrant workers and local workers does not increase and the unions do not fall into the trap of the employer’s policies to divide the working class and turn it against each other. Because the unions that avoid producing sustainable and resistive policies towards migrant workers and adopt an exclusionary approach will contribute to the inequalities in the labour market and this will cause the unions to erode their democratic institutions.