The Federation of Free Workers (FFW) is officially urging the International Labor Organization (ILO), with the support of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, to investigate cases of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in Saudi Arabia who are working without pay. This situation constitutes modern-day slavery perpetrated through various profitable human trafficking methods.

Historically, slavery was believed to have ended after the successful American Revolution and the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln. Yet, today, as reported by SOS International, there are 50 million slaves worldwide with significant numbers in India (18.4m), Pakistan (2.4m), Bangladesh (1.5m), China (3.4m) and Uzbekistan (1.2m).

ILO and all relevant authorities, both local and international, must unequivocally declare this a crime against humanity and address it with the same gravity as the atrocities committed by despots such as Hitler, Pol Pot, and Idi Amin.

ILO must dedicate more of its resources to combating this transgression rather than deploying its High-Level Tripartite Mission (HLTM) to the Philippines and other countries to investigate redundant and dubious complaints on restrictions to Freedom of Association that allegedly weaken labor unions’ ability to enlist new members.

It is well-known that there is a worldwide decline in labor union membership due to globalization, shifts in employment demographics, the migration from blue to white-collar jobs, outsourcing and automation.

Perhaps the most significant setback to labor unions worldwide was the federal conviction of the infamous American labor leader Jimmy Hoffa, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, for labor racketeering, wire fraud using his union’s pension fund, corrupt acts and other illegal activities. Hoffa’s association with organized crime deeply harmed the labor union movement and is a dark chapter that labor leaders would rather bury.

Understandably, to deflect the Jimmy Hoffa affair, a convenient scapegoat for the plummeting union membership are the dubious violations by employers of the Right of Freedom of Association enshrined in the Constitution. Labor leaders and the ILO must know that the flipside of such freedom is the right NOT to associate.

In a visit to the country by the high-level ILO team a decade ago, it was suggested that the Employers Confederation of the Philippines or ECOP and its member companies should encourage and help their workers to join labor unions. It was, of course, a preposterous notion, as this interferes with workers’ freedom of association. Maybe labor unions should honestly look at the competence and persuasive powers of their organizers regarding the low turnout of new members.

Returning to the issue of modern-day slavery, ECOP and all employers together with the FFW condemn in the strongest terms the employers in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere who engage in such barbaric employment practices. ECOP demands immediate action from ILO to stop these unethical, illegal and inhumane employment practices and save our OFWs.

The ILO, established in 1919 as part of the Treaty of Versailles, must reassess its role and mandate as protector of workers and attend to the slavery problem more actively rather than investigating the reasons for declining labor union membership. In the spirit of effective action, ILO should heed the wisdom in Richard Carlson’s audiobook Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and learn to choose its battles wisely.

By focusing on significant, impactful issues such as modern-day slavery, ILO can make substantial strides in improving the lives of workers globally. This not only fulfills its original mandate as the protector of workers but also reinforces its relevance and efficacy in the modern world.