(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
A World Migration Congress under the auspices of the International Federation of Trade Unions and the Labor and Socialist International, will take place here on May 18-21.
Delegates from the National Trade Union Centres affiliated to the International Federation of Trade Unions and the Labor and Socialist International, the International Trade Secretariats, and the National Sections of the Labor and Socialist International, are expected to attend the Congress. Labor organizations in Australia, British Guiana, British India, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Dutch East Indies, Egypt, Esthonia, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa and West Indies have been invited to send delegates.
The Congress will be held under the chairmanship of the Rt. Hon. J. H. Thomas, M.P., British ex-Colonial Minister, J. W. Brown, secretary of the International Federation of Trade Unions, will be the secretary of the Congress. The Agenda includes addresses and reports on the Regulation of Migration by L. Jouhaux, Paris, Vice-President of the International Federation of Trade Unions and the Labor and Socialist International and Secretary of French National Trade Union Centre; Restriction, Exclusion and Assimilation by C. T. Cramp, London, Member of Executive Labor and Socialist International; Industrial General Secretary National Union of Railwaymen; The Protection of the Immigrant by A. Knoll, Berlin, Member of Executive German National Trade Union Centre; The Position of the Immigrant in respect of Social Insurance by L. de Brouckere, Brussels, Member of Executive Labor and Socialist International, Member Belgian Senate; Economic Factors in Migration by J. W. Brown and Labor Migration Policy by C. Mertens, Brussels, Vice-President International Federation of Trade Unions, Secretary Belgian Trade Union Centre.
The Joint Preparatory Commission appointed by the Executive of the International Federation of Trade Unions and the Labor and Socialist International consists of L. Jouhaux, C. Mertens, John W. Brown, L. de Brouckere, C. T. Cramp and Dr. H. Diamand.
The creation of an International Migration Office by the International Federation of Trade Unions and the Labor and Socialist International will be urged in a resolution dealing with the problem of protection for the immigrant.
Other resolutions which will be submitted to the Congress declare: “This Congress declares that in principle migration should be free, that is to say, purely political reasons should not interfere with freedom of migration; economic conditions alone should weigh in the balance when decisions are being made, and only in very exceptional circumstances should other factors be allowed to influence these decisions.”
“This Congress affirms that migration problems cannot be satisfactorily solved without the cooperation of trade union organizations. These organizations must have a voice in the control of recruiting and in the determination of the general principles guiding the national migration policy of their respective countries. It therefore considers that the Governments and national trade union centres of the various countries should cooperate to establish a National Migration Office. In addition, an International Migration Office should be created, with adequate trade union representation, to draw up international regulations for migration. In the establishment of the last-named, the possibility of collaborating with other bodies is to be investigated. The machinery thus set up should be utilized to control or supervise the recruitment of immigrant labor by means of visas which, however, should be issued free of charge to the emigrant worker.”
“The Congress desires to emphasize its conviction that it is the duty of all governments to provide for the solution of migration problems in the manner best conducive to international peace and goodwill, and to the protection of the interests both of the emigrant workers and of the workers in the country to which they go.”
The headquarters of the Congress are at the International Federation of Trade Unions. 31 Tesselschadestr, Amsterdam, Holland.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
