On June 16th at 11:43am Geneva time, history was made at the 100th International Labour Conference, as the International Labour Organization adopted Convention 189: Decent Work for Domestic Workers\u00a0with\u00a0396 voting in favour, 16 against and 63 abstentions.\u00a0This is a turning point in the history of the world of work, and will change the lives of at least 100 million workers globally.<\/p>\n
An historic moment for domestic workers \u2014This long overdue recognition of domestic work as work legitimizes the claims of domestic workers to dignity in the workplace, respects their labour rights, and renders them visible to authorities tasked with ensuring that labour standards are enforced. \u00a0This Convention recognizes the need for a reinvention of the way our societies view domestic work. \u00a0Employers have a range of ideas about who domestic workers are \u2013 they are variously seen as \u2018servants,\u2019 \u2018helpers,\u2019 \u2018caregivers,\u2019 \u2018maids,\u2019 and even \u2018members of the family.\u2019 \u00a0Few recognize the inherent problems with these labels. \u00a0Casting domestic workers as anything other than workers invites employers and states to justify all manner of unjust, disrespectful, undignified, inhuman, violent, and now illegal treatment to which workers in other sectors are not subjected.<\/p>\n
An historic moment for workers in the informal sector \u2014 The emergence of the modern informal sector is a response to the rise of the neoliberal economic system, which relies on the exploitation of low-skilled and marginalized workers for its survival. \u00a0Workers have long struggled to realize their rights under this system with the consistent support of the ILO. The recent economic crisis has thrown world economies into chaos, adversely affecting the lives of millions of workers. This Convention represents the hope of those workers who continue to struggle that their rights to decent work will someday also be realized.<\/p>\n
An historic moment for women \u2014 The establishment of this Convention is a milestone in the long struggle for women\u2019s rights. \u00a0It challenges the notion that women domestic workers simply carry out the caring functions for which they are naturally suited, and for which the normal rules governing work should not apply. \u00a0It is a step towards remedying long-standing stereotypes and inequalities by setting minimum standards of employment and affording due consideration of the feminization of this workforce.<\/p>\n
An historic moment for civil society \u2014 Labour unions, workers\u2019 groups, women\u2019s groups, social movements, and other civil society actors must understand this as an opportunity to reinvent themselves. \u00a0The Convention opens the door for these groups to come together to develop new strategies for organizing, freedom of association, collective bargaining, and advocacy for rights at work.<\/p>\n
While we celebrate this historic moment, we also know that there are many challenges to face in our struggle to ensure that these rights, now enshrined in Convention form, are upheld, protected, and defended. \u00a0To seize this opportunity, we call on all advocates to use the Convention as a tool to advocate for the long overdue rights of domestic workers, to raise consciousness of the need for social change, and to make meaningful improvements to the lives of domestic workers, reaffirming that Domestic Work is Work, Domestic Workers are Workers, and Domestic Work is not Slavery!<\/p>\n