ITUC-CSI-IGB - Domestic workers - News

ITUC's '12 by 12' Campaign keeps up the pressure on governments for the ratification of the Domestic Workers Convention

2013-06-14T13:59:29Z

On 16 June, actions and mobilisations in dozens of countries (from Spain to India, Senegal to Chile ) are expected to keep up the pressure on governments to better protect domestic workers in law and practice and to put a hold on the exploitation and abuse of the 50 to 100 million domestic workers.

Two years on from the historical adoption of the ILO Convention 189 at the International Labour Conference (ILC) on 16 June 2011, the ITUC is intensifying the campaign to get more ratifications and to strengthen domestic workers' unions.

The adoption of a Convention and of a Recommendation, which are aimed at extending fundamental labour rights to an estimated 50 to 100 million domestic workers worldwide, represents a landmark step in the fight against discrimination and abuses. However, that fight is still far from over, since more governments need to ratify Convention 189 and to modify their national labour laws accordingly.

ITUC's '12 by 12' Campaign aims at 12 ratifications of C189, a goal nearly achieved with the two ratifications of C189 last week: Germany and South Africa – making up a total of 10 ratifications.

Other aims and impacts of the '12 by 12' Campaign include major labour law reforms (including Brazil, Argentina, Philippines, Vietnam and in two states in the U.S., namely Hawaii and Oregon), significant pay rise of minimum wages in Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi and new collective bargaining agreements in Italy and Uruguay. New unions have been established in Paraguay, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Sri Lanka, Columbia, Egypt and Angola and tens of thousands of domestic workers have been organised in unions.

The ‘12 x 12' Campaign is a broad coalition gathering unions, NGOs and other civil society partners in more than 90 countries, working together on improving rights and protection for domestic workers.

Background information:

So far, there have been 10 ratifications: seven countries whose ratifications are registered at the ILO (Uruguay, Philippines, Mauritius, Italy, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Bolivia) and three who finished their ratification process at national level and still need to register at ILO: Colombia, Germany and South Africa.

ITUC ‘s '12 by 12' Campaign international partners are the International Domestic Workers Network, IUF, PSI, ETUC, Human Right Watch, Anti-Slavery International, Amnesty International , Caritas, SOLIDAR, Migrant Forum Asia , World Solidarity and FOS.

For more information, see
The 12 by 12 Newsletter
The 12 by 12 Flyer
The 12 by 12 Webpage
12 June: Global Day Against Child Labour – focus on child domestic workers
The 12 by 12 Facebook page

For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32 2 224 02 04 or +32 476 621 018

ITUC and UN Women join forces to launch a new publication

2013-03-10T12:24:34Z

Today ITUC and UN Women join forces to launch a new publication “Domestic Workers Count Too: Implementing Protections for Domestic Workers”. The launch event, co-sponsored by UN Women, ITUC and the government of the Philippines, takes place at a side event of the 57th UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York, entitled, “Domestic Workers Count Too: Ensuring Protection, Upholding Rights”.

Based on personal testimonies from Bolivia, the State of New York, USA, the Philippines and South Africa, the ITUC-UN Women briefing kit is an encouragement to all governments to take measures to ensure that domestic workers are recognized and protected by law. Domestic workers represent an integral part of the labour force worldwide, and this is expected to grow in the coming years. Today they already make up 4-10% and 1-2.5% of the workforce in developing and industrialized countries, respectively. 83% of these workers are female. Millions are migrants leaving behind their own sons and daughters, while they take care of the children of others. Yet 40% of countries worldwide have no kind of protection whatsoever.

Building upon promising advances in the international normative framework and national practice that embodies these human rights standards, in many countries, the briefing kit explains how legal protections benefit not only domestic workers but society as a whole. “UN Women is committed to working even more closely with key partners to ensure legal and social protection for domestic workers”, said Michelle Bachelet, the Executive Director of UN Women. “The right of domestic workers to be recognized and protected by laws is fundamental to their human rights. We should recognize that domestic workers make a major contribution to societies, which benefits all of us”.

But the kit goes beyond making the case for legal protection. It demonstrates how standards can actually be applied and scaled up in all countries. “Domestic workers deserve decent work just like any other workers. Our “12 by 12 campaign” is building a global movement of domestic workers demanding justice for this forgotten category of workers. We urge all governments to extend labour laws to this sector” says Sharan Burrow, the General Secretary of the ITUC .

12 by 12 Campaign: Six Countries Grant Rights to Domestic Workers in 2012

2012-12-12T08:14:08Z

With six countries having ratified the ILO Convention No 189 on domestic workers in 2012, the ITUC's 12 by 12 campaign is well on track. In addition to Uruguay, Philippines, Mauritius, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Paraguay, a number of other countries worldwide have made commitments to improve the working and living conditions of domestic workers.

December 12 is a symbolic date for the 12 by 12 campaign, which is the reason why today trade unions and activists are mobilising thousands of workers in 50 countries to put pressure on decision makers and encourage governments to enact the hardly needed laws that would give domestic workers a decent work and a decent life.

“The reality of the vast majority of domestic workers today is simply slavery,” said Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary. “Trade unions, domestic workers' associations and their allies are changing this reality by demanding through the 12 by 12 campaign rights and benefits for this category of workers who are underpaid, not recognised and not respected.”

The ILO Convention 189, adopted a year ago, guarantees the right of domestic workers to collectively defend their interests through trade unions and their access to a decent minimum wage just like any other worker. The international treaty further provides for a day off per week, a monthly payment and access to social security including in the case of maternity.

“The 12 by 12 campaign is giving hope to millions of domestic workers around the world,” said Elisabeth Tang, coordinator of the international domestic workers' network. “The massive mobilisation of domestic workers' organisations and trade unions throughout the world combined with the passage of new laws and policies are important victories that make a huge difference in the lives of these millions of women whose work has been undervalued for generations,” she added.

On 12 December, important mobilisations of the 12 by 12 campaign will take place in in Indonesia, Senegal, Costa Rica, and Panama among others.

The ‘12 by 12' Campaign is an initiative of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) in partnership with the International Domestic Workers Network (IDWN), the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Public Service International (PSI), The International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF), Human Rights Watch, Anti-Slavery International, Solidar, Migrant Forum Asia (MFA), World Solidarity and Caritas.

For the latest updates check out the ITUC campaign web page and the Campaign Facebook page

See the IDWN website

See the 12-12-12 Flyer

For further information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32 2 224 0204 or +32 476 62 10 18

photo: Gaetan Nerinck

Defection of Syrian Prime Minister Weakens Assad's Grip on Power

2012-08-06T15:03:25Z

The defection of Syrian Prime Minister Riyad Hijab to the opposition has severely weakened President Bashar al-Assad's grip on political power, but the armed conflict raging across the country shows no signs of abating. Hijab, who had served as Prime Minister for just two months, left Syria for Jordan, describing Assad's regime as “killing and terrorist”.

Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary, said “The Prime Minister's defection underlines just how ruthless and morally corrupt the regime is. Although this is a huge political blow to Bashar al-Assad, there is no sign of any let-up in the fighting. The appalling toll of death and injury continues to mount, and the longer the fighting continues, the harder it will be to reconstruct the country and overcome the divisions to build a new Syria based on democracy and respect for the rule of law.”

Disturbing new evidence of how foreign migrant workers are being caught up in the conflict is emerging, with tens of thousands still in the country unable to return home. Many of them, mostly female domestic workers, come from South-East Asia. To date less than 10% have been evacuated to the Philippines, Indonesia and other countries of origin, and the trafficking into Syria continues.

Read here the dramatic story of Domestic Worker “Elena's” Escape from Syria.

Read here Philippines ratifies ILO Convention 189

Photo: Nasser Nouri

Photo caption: Civilians flee from fighting after Syrian army tanks entered the North Western city of Idlib

Domestic Workers Convention comes into force after ratification by the Philippines

2012-08-06T09:24:50Z

The ratification will improve the conditions of over 3.4 million workers in the country, which is one of the major world suppliers of domestic labour.

The Senate of the Philippines today approved the International Labour Convention No. 189 on decent work for domestic workers. The ratification will have a significant impact on the rights and the conditions not only for over 3.4 million domestic workers in the Philippines but worldwide, since C189 needed a second ratification to enter into force, after the government of Uruguay ratified it on 26 April 2012.

The Philippines is the first Asian country to commit itself to the respect and the implementation of the new ILO labour standard that was adopted at the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva on 16 June 2011. The adoption of a Convention and of a Recommendation, which are aimed at extending fundamental labour rights to an estimated 50 to 100 million domestic workers worldwide, represents a landmark step in the fight against discrimination and abuses.

The ratification of C189 implies the adoption of laws that recognise the right of domestic workers to organise and collectively defend their interests through trade unions and the right to a minimum wage in countries where such a wage exists. The Convention also guarantees a monthly payment, access to social security, one day off per week and the regulation of working hours and leave days.

In the case of the Philippines, this ratification is even more significant, since the country is one of the major world suppliers of domestic labour. In 2010 alone, according to the Philippines Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), 154,535 domestic labourers, mostly women, moved to the Middle East, to Europe and to neighbouring countries, like Hong Kong and Singapore. These workers, who represent 45 per cent of the total Filipino migrant workforce, are particularly exposed to trafficking and exploitation.

“By recognizing that decent work principles should be embedded in domestic work, the Philippines and the world are finally coming to terms with their humanity. Workers' rights and decent work should not be limited to certain types of workers only, but to all kinds of workers,” commented Sonny Matula, president of the Federation of Free Workers (FFW), affiliated to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). The FFW; the ITUC-affiliated Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP); the Alliance of Progressive Labour and SUMAPI (domestic workers union); other groups, such as Migrant Forum in Asia and the Visayan Forum, worked with government agencies led by the Department of Labor and Employment to prepare the way for ratification.

In December 2011 the ITUC launched the‘12 by 12' campaign, with the goal of 12 ratifications of C189 in 2012 and the strengthening of domestic workers' unions. Over 100 affiliated organisations in 81 countries have been mobilised so far. The ITUC has been monitoring the ratification process and established various partnerships with international organisations [1]. After the governments of Uruguay and of the Philippines, other governments are expected to follow soon, including South Africa, Mauritius, Belgium, Kenya, Brazil and Colombia.

“The goal of 12 ratifications by the end of 2012 is a real challenge, but with a force of '12 by 12' campaign teams in 81 countries, it is achievable,” says Marieke Koning, ITUC expert on gender equality and domestic work issues. “Today the campaign reached a major victory: the second ratification by the Philippines means C189 is here to stay as an international instrument to protect the rights of domestic workers.”

[1] IDWN, ETUC, IUF, PSI, Human Rights Watch, Anti-Slavery International, Caritas, MFA, Solidar, World Solidarity

Singapore needs to do more to protect foreign workers, especially domestic workers

2012-07-24T11:01:48Z

The ITUC is releasing today a report prepared for the World Trade Organisation's trade policy review of Singapore that finds certain restrictions on the right to organise and a migration system that makes foreign workers vulnerable to abuses by employers.

Although the right to organise and collective bargaining are provided by law and they are exercised in practice, some restrictions apply, especially for migrant workers. For instance, a law bars any person “who is not a citizen of Singapore” from serving as a national or branch officer or being hired as an employee of a trade union unless prior written approval is received from the Minister of Manpower.

The law stipulates that foreign workers' residence rights are pegged to their employment contract. For the 200,000 foreign domestic workers in Singapore, this means that if an employer cancels the employment contract, the worker is subject to deportation procedures. Some employers threaten foreign domestic workers with denouncing their employment contract in order to force them into long hours, restrict their movement and impose other illegal working conditions. Although the government prosecutes employers and recruiters who abuse labour rights of foreign workers, especially domestic workers, in 2010 there were some 4,000 foreign maids who reportedly ran away from their employers. Many foreign workers enter the country's workforce immensely indebted and subsequently are coerced into jobs they did not accept on departing.

To read the report, please click here.

The ITUC represents 175 million workers in 153 countries and territories and has 308 national affiliates.

Website: http://www.ituc-csi.org and http://www.youtube.com/ITUCCSI

For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32 2 224 0204 or +32 476 62 10 18.

Keep up pressure on governments for the ratification of the Domestic Workers Convention

2012-06-15T08:36:54Z

On the first anniversary of the adoption of the Domestic Workers Convention, trade unions around the world are stepping up their campaign to get 12 ratifications by the end of 2012. The goal is challenging, yet achievable.

One year on from the historical adoption of the ILO Convention 189 at the International Labour Conference (ILC) on 16 June 2011, the ITUC is intensifying the campaign to get at least 12 ratifications by the end of 2012 and to strengthen domestic workers' unions.

The adoption of a Convention and of a Recommendation, which are aimed at extending fundamental labour rights to an estimated 50 to 100 million domestic workers worldwide, represents a landmark step in the fight against discrimination and abuses. However, that fight is still far from over, since governments need to ratify Convention 189 and to modify their national labour laws accordingly.

In December 2011 the ITUC launched the “12 by 12 campaign” [1] and mobilised over 100 affiliated organisations in 81 countries. The ITUC has been monitoring the ratification process with a focus on 12 countries , namely Brazil, Peru, Dominican Republic, Paraguay, South Africa, Senegal, Kenya, Philippines, Indonesia, India, Saudi Arabia as well as the EU.

The government of Uruguay was the first to ratify the Convention on the 25th of April granting international protection to 120,000 domestic workers in that country, and other governments are expected to follow soon, including the Philippines, South Africa, Mauritius, Belgium, Kenya, Brazil and Colombia.
“The goal of 12 ratifications by the end of 2012 is a real challenge, but it is achievable,” says Marieke Koning, ITUC expert on gender equality and domestic work issues.

“The adoption of Convention 189 was such a breakthrough in the defence of domestic workers' rights, and now it is very important that we keep making pressure on governments for their prompt ratification and for the introduction of substantial changes in national laws.”

During the 101st Session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, the ITUC, the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF) and the International Domestic Workers Network (IDWN) organised a joint meeting to celebrate the first anniversary of Convention 189 and to inform about the ratification process in various countries and regions. On 16 June, worldwide actions of trade unions and domestic workers organisations will take place, urging governments to ratify C189.

For updates of the ‘12 by 12' campaign and the ratification process, follow us on Facebook and/or check out the ITUC ‘12 by 12' webpage.

[1] The ‘12 by 12' Campaign is an initiative of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) in partnership with the International Domestic Workers Network (IDWN), the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) , Public Service International (PSI), The International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF), Human Rights Watch, Anti-Slavery International, Solidar, Migrant Forum Asia (MFA), World Solidarity and Caritas.

For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on +32 2 224 0204 or +32 476 62 10 18.

ITUC Confronts Qatari Labour Minister with New Evidence of Abuse of Migrant Workers

2012-06-12T14:08:30Z

Photo evidence from camps housing hundreds of migrant workers in Qatar was today presented to the Qatari Labour Minister at a special meeting convened during the ILO conference in Geneva.

Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), said migrant workers live and work in Qatar in horrendous conditions with no rights. A commitment from the Qatari authorities on freedom of association is a fundamental requirement for the ITUC.

“The international unions have taken up the case of migrant workers' rights in Qatar. Only by having freedom of association and free trade unions, with the right to collectively bargain, will migrant workers have the protections they need,” said Sharan Burrow.

The photos of a workers' camp anonymously handed over to the ITUC last week showed
Overflowing rubbish
Sewage tankers alongside workers' housing
One working toilet stall for 150 workers
Billowing industrial smoke from a fire at warehouse next to a workers' camp

“Working and living conditions for migrant workers in Qatar are modern-day slavery. As it undertakes a massive construction job for the 2022 World Cup, Qatar is putting at risk the lives of thousands upon thousands of workers. Without genuine legal protection and union rights, more workers will die building the World Cup stadiums than players will play in the World Cup itself,” said Sharan Burrow.

A photograph of a notice for workers posted on a camp notice board set out stringent leave provisions for workers. Annual leave is only given after one or two years' completion of work. The notice said leave provisions for casual leave are:
Three days per year
One day per quarter
No two consecutive days can be used.
No two consecutive months can be used.

“Labour migration must not be done by agents that exploit workers but by reputable companies which respect international law. With the massive influx of new migrant workers, the Qatari authorities must ensure that migrant workers are not exploited,” said Sharan Burrow.

In the meeting with the Qatari Labour Minister, Sharan Burrow requested the Labour Minister join her in a meeting with migrant workers in Qatar, due to take place later this year.

12 by 12 Campaign: Uruguay First Country to Ratify C189

2012-04-26T14:19:09Z

Trade union activists, as well as domestic workers, are thrilled to see a breakthrough in the ‘12 by 12' campaign: Uruguay made history by being the first country to ratify International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention No. 189 (C189).

The ITUC launched the‘12 by 12' campaign in December 2011, following the historical adoption of C189 at the International Labor Conference (ILC) on 16 June 2011. The campaign goal is 12 ratifications of C189 in 2012 and the strengthening of domestic workers' unions.

Uruguay's House of Representatives yesterday approved the International Labour Convention No. 189 on decent work for domestic workers. The ratification will have a significant impact on domestic workers rights in Uruguay and worldwide: C189 comes into force once two countries have ratified it. In other words, we are getting very close to safeguarding C189 as an international instrument.

Countries that ratify C189 have to adopt laws that recognise the right of domestic workers to collectively defend their interests through trade unions. In addition, Convention C189 protects the right of domestic workers to a minimum wage in countries where such a wage exists; the Convention guarantees them a monthly payment and access to social security including in the case of maternity; and it gives them one day off per week and regulates their working hours and leave days. C189 recognises domestic work as any other work and ensures that domestic workers are treated as any other worker under labour legislation.

The ‘12 by 12' campaign is now operational in 73 countries around the world. They are undertaking actions to demand the ratification of C189 and changes in national legislation: actions range from marches in the streets or public events, etc., to the inclusion of C189 in tripartite meetings (Nordic countries, Philippines, South Africa, Brazil).

1) The ‘12 by 12' Campaign is an initiative of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) in partnership with the International Domestic Workers Network (IDWN), the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) , Public Service International (PSI), The International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF), Human Rights Watch, Anti-Slavery International, Solidar, Migrant Forum Asia (MFA), World Solidarity and Caritas.

2) 14 million domestic workers are in Latin America, with 120,000 in Uruguay.

3) Join us on Facebook where hundreds of activists connect and share information and updates on the ‘12 by 12' campaign

For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32 2 224 0204 or +32 476 62 10 18

Saudi Arabia: King Must End Slavery of Domestic Workers

2012-03-08T10:35:13Z

The international union movement is marking the occasion of International Women's Day by writing to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on behalf 1.5 million women domestic workers calling on him to support laws which give domestic workers the same rights as all other workers.

Sharan Burrow, General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation, said domestic workers are excluded from labour legislation in the Saudi Kingdom and open to serious exploitation and abuse. Most workers are migrant woman from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Philippines and India.

“On International Women's Day the International Trade Union movement and the 12 x 12 campaign for domestic workers rights are calling on Saudi Arabia to be the first country to ratify the ILO Convention on domestic workers,” said Sharan Burrow.

Saudi Arabia does not protect the rights of workers to form and join trade unions and to bargain collectively.

The migratory sponsorship system, under which most migrant labour work puts foreign workers at the mercy of their employer or sponsor who hold their passports and process their residence permits.

“Only by protecting the rights of workers in law, can Saudi Arabia put an end to modern day slavery and restore the human dignity of the 1.5 million women domestic workers employed with no rights or voice, ” said Burrow.

The Saudi Kingdom was singled out for abuses of workers in reports by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International in 2011. These documented cases of employers cutting the ears of domestic workers, burning them with irons and forcing nails and needles into their bodies.
Last year the Gulf Kingdom beheaded the Indonesian domestic worker Ruyati binti Satubi, accused of killing her employers' wife.

Read the letter from ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The letter will also be posted on the websites of unions in over 50 countries.

For any further information, please contact the ITUC press department at: +32 2 224 0204 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +32 2 224 0204 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or +32 476 621 018