Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'ILO and domestic workers' that was published in Newsband

ILO and domestic workers

The International Labour Organization (ILO) legally recognises domestic work as economically productive activity. The ILO promotes the freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining between domestic workers and their employers, and the effective abolition of child labour in this sector.

More than 80 per cent of domestic workers are women and migrant groups. The Asia-Pacific region has the maximum prevalence of domestic labour, about 41 per cent. But it is the weakest in terms of legal protection.

In India, which has eight per cent of the world’s domestic workers, the demand for domestic workers is said to be on the increase given the changing profile of the Indian family, the ageing process and urbanisation.

 ILO convention will be an important step in improving the lot of the millions employed in this sector.

As many people in India are below poverty line, they are prepared to do what ever work they get and they don’t bother about what are the additional benefits they are getting since they are only worried about whether they will get food for that day or not.

In the developing and under developed countries, due to the state of poverty and huge competition for survival there is a supply exceeding demand scenario. Millions of children around the world, mainly girls, are in paid or unpaid domestic work in households other than their own. Of these children, around two thirds are estimated to be in unacceptable situations, either because they are below the legal minimum working age or are working under hazardous conditions or in circumstances that are tantamount to slavery. These children carry out tasks such as cleaning, ironing, cooking, gardening, collecting water, looking after other children and caring for the elderly. Many of them have no or insufficient access to education.

Children should not be working at an age below the general minimum age for employment. Domestic workers are at disproportionate risk of human rights violations by their employers, or the employer’s family members and friends. These may include withheld wages, forced confinement, excessively long working days, no time off, verbal, physical

and sexual abuse. Conditions can constitute forced labour or trafficking.

Domestic workers are entitled to minimum wage, limited working hours, weekly days off, written contracts and decent living conditions. They should be ensured effective protection against all forms of abuse, harassment and violence.

In 2011, in a landmark development, the ILO’s International Labour Conference adopted Convention No. 189 and Recommendation No. 201 concerning decent work for domestic workers. The adoption of these instruments is a historic step towards ensuring that all domestic workers enjoy the same fair terms of employment and decent working conditions as other workers and are equally entitled to respect of their rights and dignity. These standards contain specific provisions requiring ratifying States to protect children for example from child labour in domestic work, while ensuring that young workers who can legally work are provided with decent work conditions and do so without compromising their education.

Thus ILO is doing a magnificent job in the direction of providing justice to the domestic workers all over the world.