The Right to Work

The Right to Work, as reflected in the Charter of Palermo (2015), affirms that access to dignified and fairly compensated employment is a fundamental condition for autonomy, inclusion, and the realization of broader social rights. The Charter argues that frameworks that tie the ability to work to legal statuses undermine both individual dignity and collective well-being.

The Charter calls for a reconfiguration of this relationship by decoupling access to work from restrictive administrative controls and by creating more stable and accessible pathways to regularization. It emphasizes the need for policies that protect workers regardless of status, reduce dependence on employers for legal recognition, and ensure that labor rights are upheld in practice as well as in law.

For policymakers, this approach requires shifting from short-term or emergency responses toward structural interventions that promote fair employment, prevent exploitation, and recognize migrants as active contributors to economic and social life. By securing the right to work on equitable terms, institutions can strengthen both individual livelihoods and the broader integrity of labor systems.

  • “First of all, what we need here as foreigners…is housing. Or those who lack proper documentation, landlords always demand papers—or, regarding one's employment status, they ask for what is known as a "pay slip." Before agreeing to rent out a home, everyone invariably asks to see a pay slip. But for someone who doesn't have documents, how is one supposed to obtain a pay slip in order to rent a home? Where are you supposed to live? Are you expected to live out on the street? How is one supposed to survive?”

    —Emmy Ologbo

  • “For many [Nigerians], there simply isn't work available. And obtaining official documents is another major hurdle—it’s incredibly difficult to get them. If you look at the situation—say, over the last ten years right up to the present moment—you’ll see that there aren't many Nigerians left here anymore. Most have already left; many have gone to France, many have gone to Germany. And all those people who are now in Germany—or in France—they went there and found a life that is easier than the one they were living here—a better life.”

    —Frank Iloegbunam

  • “I’ve been living here in Palermo for 14 years. I work as a merchant, though right now—for the past five years—I haven't been working; I’m at a standstill because of my residency permit situation. It’s a common issue; it’s been going on for two years now. For the moment, I’m stuck; life is hard, and work—well, work is scarce. We work just a little bit—barely enough to cover the rent, electricity bills, insurance, and gas for the car. That’s just how life is.”

    — Salah Ellaudi