Material #47: Migration, climate and construction
Migrant workers play an essential role in the construction sectors, and in those sectors' response to climate change: installing renewable energy infrastructure, retrofitting buildings, constructing new green builds, and producing materials.
But they are often excluded from the benefits of "green" jobs.
Building & Woodworkers International has set out an agenda for realizing the rights of migrant workers in the construction, materials, wood and forestry industries as those industries respond to climate change. I worked on the research and writing of the report.
The report emphasizes that the agency and diverse experiences of workers themselves - some of whom go on to own companies and be employers themselves - must be at the forefront: including those migrating internally from rural to urban areas, and those migrating across geographical borders.
“In the Philippines there were many people who had to leave the country to look for work abroad because of climate disasters. This was a survival mechanism because in areas that are frequently hit by typhoons, (economic) recovery takes a long time. In the meantime, people need to find a way to make a living”.
Ramil, Construction worker in the Philippines, quoted in the report
The report highlights challenges that many migrant construction workers face. These include exploitative recruitment practices, limited access to training, major barriers to speaking out, and hazardous conditions in workplaces - including heat stress and extreme weather events that are exacerbated by climate change. As well as specific recommendations for governments, employers, investors and owners it calls for these four overarching shifts:
Access the report for more, including spotlights on the role of remittances, experiences of women migrant workers in construction, and re-building from climate disasters.
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Through 2024, It’s Material is sharing one use of the word “material” each week, on Tuesdays
For previous newsletters on workers in construction, see:
“Lives lost in a fire in Kuwait - Migrant labor and cost-cutting in the built environment collide”
“Building materials - the rights of workers through supply chains”
And pieces from my NYC-based “Rights Here” project: “Life as a day laborer” / “Power tools” / “Day laborers on the frontlines during COVID” / and “Day laborers organizing for change at La Colmena in Staten Island”.