Domestic workers play an important role in the economy and they allow others to go out and earn money. Yet they remain invisible, unprotected and their contribution is often not recognized. At the forthcoming International Labour Conference (in Geneva, 1-17 June) the ILO and its members will debate drafts that could lead to the first international instruments specifically designed to protect domestic workers. By Neelam Agnihotri, Communication & Information Officer, ILO Country Office for India.
(New Delhi, India) Kuwari’s face lights up with pride as she writes her name
in English. Born into a poor family of landless agricultural workers in
Jharkhand, India, life has been an unending struggle for survival. Her parents
were too poor to provide two full meals to their six children; education was a
distant dream. As the eldest child she was sent to Delhi to work when she was
14, to augment the family’s meager income. But since she was uneducated, house
work was the only option before her. A friend put her in touch with a voluntary
organization that helped her find a job with a good family employer.
While working she also enrolled in a training programme, the Skills
Development Initiative for Domestic Workers, run by the Ministry of Labour and
Employment (MOLE) and Delhi State Government, with technical assistance from the
Norwegian funded project implemented by the ILO. This not only helped her
organize her work more systematically but also boosted her self- esteem. She
realized she was not alone and there were many more like her.
Jasinta also came to Delhi from a remote village, Amlai Gudi in Assam. But
after working for a year she was cheated by the placement agency and paid only
half her wages. Luckily she found a new job quickly and, with the help of a
voluntary organization, she also attended the domestic workers’ training
programme. “I used to work in a haphazard manner. This training has helped me
improve my performance. My employer is very happy with the way I work now and
has given me a raise,” said Jasinta.
Paid domestic work is increasing in many economies worldwide but it remains a
virtually invisible form of employment in many countries. It is also generally
seen as unskilled work, a natural extension of women’s work in their own homes.
Thus, many domestic workers endure very poor working conditions, many are
underpaid, have no social security coverage, work long hours, in difficult and
not always safe conditions. Some are vulnerable to trafficking, sexual, physical
and psychological abuse, especially when they are migrants.
Yet, domestic and care work in the home is vital for the economy. Domestic
workers allow millions of others to go out to work while maintaining domestic
routines. In India a new domestic worker can expect to earn about INR1,800
(US$41) per month. This should increase as the worker acquires additional skills
such as cooking or child care.
According to Ms Tine Staermose, Director, ILO Decent Work Team for South Asia
and Country Office for India, besides better wages, what also matters to
domestic workers is respect and recognition, and the realization that their work
is important. "Besides recognizing their identity as workers with rights, they
also form a very important segment, whose contribution to the economy and growth
needs to be recognized,” she said.
Domestic work has been an ILO concern since its earliest days and gender
equality is at the core of the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda. Domestic workers form a
significant part of the working population. Given their vulnerability to
dangerous, discriminatory and abusive working conditions, the ILO recognizes the
need to promote decent work for domestic workers.
To bring the issue centre stage and raise awareness about the rights of
domestic workers, a public campaign “Your work is important” was launched in
India in 2009. To professionalize domestic work and promote better wages and
working conditions, the ILO collaborated with the MOLE, the Government of India
and the Delhi Government to set up pilot training programmes to train and
re-skill domestic workers and household assistants. The ILO also collaborated
with the National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) and the All India Trade Union
Congress (AITUC) to help domestic workers in selected states get organized and
train them to improve their skills, including work discipline and the so-called
soft skills that can lead to career progression.
In June 2010 the ILO’s membership held their first discussion on the adoption
of new international labour standards for domestic workers at the International
Labour Conference (ILC), their annual meeting. On the basis of this draft a
Convention and Recommendation were prepared and sent to ILO constituents for
comments. The proposed instruments provide minimum levels of protection for
domestic workers in a number of areas, including wages, working conditions,
social protection and occupational health and safety.
Ms Sachiko Yamamoto, ILO’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific said:
“It is encouraging and timely to see the positive comments coming from so many
member States here in Asia and the Pacific.”
The constituents’ feedback was incorporated into new drafts that will be
considered during a second ILC
discussion in June 2011, with a view towards the adoption of a new international
labour standard on domestic workers. If adopted, these new instruments will be a
major step towards making invisible workers like Kuwari and Jasinta visibile,
giving public recognition to the value of their work, and bringing the closer
prospect of decent work for them.
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