MWRN was founded on March 29th 2009 by a group of 9 Myanmar migrant leaders who strongly believed that empowerment of migrants is the best way for migrants to protect themselves in their vulnerable situation as migrant workers in Thailand. The founders’ goal for MWRN is to promote and strengthen Myanmar migrant workers’ rights, eventually across the whole globe, by raising awareness, promoting acc
ess to justice and negotiation processes with employers and officials and advocating for policy change. MWRNs organisational structure (committee, voting, membership fees and decision making systems, secretariat) is set-up and is continually being developed to imitate a trade union through assistance from leading labour organisers from the Thai labour movement, particularly from the State Enterprise Workers Relations Confederation of Thailand (SERC). This is all despite migrant workers in Thailand not being able to form unions themselves or collectively organise or register. SERC is Thailand’s largest and most independent trade union (and a member of ITUC) to which MWRN is still finalising its formal affiliation. A number of SERC officials, alongside Mr. Andy Hall, are the key advisors to the MWRN development process and activities. Since November 2014, MWRN has formalised its presence and staff registration processes in Thailand through working under the legal umbrella of the newly formed SERC Foundation (SERCF). SERCF, whose President is the former General Secretary of SERC, employs MWRN’s President, Vice President and Secretary. SERCF’s newly formed Migrant Justice Programme is directed by Mr. Andy Hall. MWRN truly represents migrant workers as all decision making and activities are organised and almost always funded by migrant workers themselves. As of Nov 2014, MWRN had more than 3, 700 individual members, including affiliated network members – all Myanmar migrants living and working in Thailand.
