(14 October 2013) It's taken decades of struggle, but on 5 September 2013 domestic workers are finally given the same rights as other workers with the coming into force of ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers.
Please read an interview published in “Equal Times” where Tamara Gausi talks to Ai-jen Poo of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Myrtle Witbooi of the IDWN, Marieke Koning of the ITUC and Julius Cainglet of the Federation of Free Workers in the Philippines to find out why the mobilisation of domestic workers is one of the most important social movements of our time.
More information on the ILO Convention 189 and the related ILO Recommendation 201 can be found on the ILO webpage. The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), having been one of the key drivers and supporters of the convention, has put together an dossier with further relevant documents and links.
It will now be up also to EPSU affiliates and colleagues to monitor the implementation by the governments and to continue work to defend the rights and decent working condition for domestic workers. At EU-level the policy dossier most closely linked to domestic workers’ rights is the one on personal and household services (where in July 2012 EPSU and the ETUC submitted a contribution to an EC consultation) that currently gets increasing attention in the framework of discussions how and in which sectors to boost employment and growth.
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