The Government must move to address the "appalling situation" of many migrant workers here, the executive director of Amnesty International's Irish section has said.
Speaking at the weekend on International Migrants Day, Mr Seán Love joined several other NGOs in calling on the Government to immediately sign the 1990 UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Their Families.
The convention, which sets out the minimum obligations and responsibilities of host states, is the only one of seven core UN human rights conventions which Ireland has not ratified. It came into force last year. Ratification of it has been demanded not only by NGOs here but also by the Government's own Human Rights Commission.
Mr Love said it was "disappointing" that the Government appeared to have no intention of ratifying it.
"This is a stark admission that Irish immigration law and policy are out of step with international human rights commitments."
The International Labour Organisation estimates there are 175 million migrant workers worldwide and the convention aims to protect them from human rights abuses, including restrictions to their freedom of movement, racism, violence and physical or sexual abuse.
Ms Denise Charlton, chief executive of the Immigrant Council of Ireland, said it would be wrong to imagine such abuses do not occur here. "The council has documented the harsh reality experienced by so many in our report Voices of Immigrants: The Challenges of Inclusion," she said.
Among the issues highlighted included being forced to work long hours often without a break; forced separation from family due to limited family reunification entitlements; vulnerability caused by the fact that employers rather than workers hold work permits, and domestic violence.
Last week a number of reports pointed towards an increasing reliance on migrant workers if economic growth is to be maintained at between 3 and 5 per cent per annum over the next decade.
The CSO estimated Ireland would need 50,000 immigrants a year to 2016, while the Diversity At Work Network (DAWN) called for a complete overhaul of the work permit system. DAWN, which includes the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland representing 12,000 businesses, said a quarter of businesses had problems with the work permit system.
Ms Siobhán O'Donoghue, director of the Migrant Rights Centre, said at the "very least" the Government should "live up to the spirit of the convention as an acknowledgment of the contribution migrant workers are making to Ireland's economic and social development, and the State's commitment to upholding basic human rights standards".
The Government has said it has "no plans at present" to sign the treaty into Irish law as it would require "significant changes" to existing legislation covering social welfare provision, education, taxation and electoral law.
