The Kasapi Union of Filipino Migrant Workers in Greece (Greek: Kasapi Hellas) is a Greek trade union founded in 1986. It advocates for workers' rights and provide social support to Filipino migrants in Greece.

Kasapi Union
Kasali Hellas
Formation1986; 38 years ago (1986)
TypeUnion
HeadquartersAthens, Greece
Membership (2019)
15,000 - 20,000
Key people
Joe Valencia, Deborah Carlos Valencia (co-founders)

History

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Co-founder Deborah Carlos-Valencia, 2015

Kasapi Union was founded in 1986 by Deborah Carlos Valencia, her husband Joe Valencia, and other Filipino refugees to Greece, who had fled Ferdinand Marcos.[1] During the 1980s, Kasapi Union launched a political advocacy campaign to increase rights for second-generation Filipinos in Greece.[2] The same decade it launched a campaign to include domestic workers in the International Labour Organization's Convention on Domestic Workers, achieving success in 2011.[2]

In 1998, the organisation held a workers' solidarity event at Panteion University.[1] In the mid-1990s, the union launched a campaign to enable migrants workers to become legal workers.[1]

Activities and membership

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The organisation provides social support to people who became unemployed,[2] runs childcare, provides low-interest loans and supports Filipino immigrants access legal services.[3] With the Melissa Network, Kasapi provides support to unaccompanied refugee children traveling to Greece.[4]

The organisation is one of the oldest Filipino associations in Greece.[2] By 2019, it had around 15,000 to 20,000 members, mostly based in Athens, mostly women.[2] The union's members, many of whom were fled the rule of Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos, are commonly politically active.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Athen, Carolin Philipp. "Selbsthilfe der Abgeschotteten (nd-aktuell.de)". www.nd-aktuell.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Φωτιάδη, Ιωάννα. "Φιλιππινέζες, οι αφανείς προκομμένες ηρωίδες των νοικοκυριών". www.kathimerini.gr. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  3. ^ Κακαουνάκη, Μαριάννα. "«Επάγγελμα Φιλιππινέζα» για μια ζωή". www.kathimerini.gr. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  4. ^ "The globalisation of border control and peoples' resistance | Transnational Institute". www.tni.org. Retrieved 2023-02-11.


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