On June 16th at 11:43am Geneva time, history was made\u00a0at the 100th International Labour Conference, as the
\nInternational Labour Organization adopted Convention\u00a0189: Decent Work for Domestic Workers, with 396 voting in
\nfavour, 16 against, and 63 abstentions. This is a turning point\u00a0in the history of the world of work, and will change the lives\u00a0of at least 100 million workers globally.<\/p>\n
An historic moment for domestic workers \u2014This long overdue\u00a0recognition of domestic work as work legitimizes the claims\u00a0of domestic workers to dignity in the workplace, respects\u00a0their labour rights, and renders them visible to authorities\u00a0tasked with ensuring that labour standards are enforced.\u00a0This Convention recognizes the need for a reinvention of\u00a0the way our societies view domestic work. Employers have\u00a0a range of ideas about who domestic workers are \u2013 they are\u00a0variously seen as \u2018servants,\u2019 \u2018helpers,\u2019 \u2018caregivers,\u2019 \u2018maids,\u2019 and\u00a0even \u2018members of the family.\u2019 Few recognize the inherent\u00a0problems with these labels. Casting domestic workers as\u00a0anything other than workers invites employers and states\u00a0to justify all manner of unjust, disrespectful, undignified,\u00a0inhuman, violent, and now illegal treatment to which\u00a0workers in other sectors are not subjected.<\/p>\n
Download the full report below.<\/p>\n