News
Singapore: New clubhouse for domestic workers opens near Tanjong Pagar
— by IDWFED — last modified Jun 28, 2015 06:23 PMDomestic workers now have a new clubhouse where they can spend their days off from work.
Dutch Rapporteur urges International Labour Conference to revise Forced Labour Convention
— by IDWFED — last modified Jun 28, 2015 06:42 PMSupplementing the ILO Convention concerning Forced or Compulsory Labour (C029) is an important step towards the eradication of forced labour, says the Dutch National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings and Sexual Violence against Children. She urges the International Labour Conference to opt for a legally binding protocol. According to the Rapporteur, the proposed set of new rules confirms the link between forced labour and trafficking in human beings. Additionally, revision of the Convention eliminates existing gaps on three important issues: the prevention of forced labour and the protection and compensation of its victims.
Global: 2014 ITUC World Congress Day Four - Domestic Workers
— by IDWFED — last modified Feb 01, 2016 04:02 PMOn day four of the ITUC World Congress, we speak to Amanda Villatoro of the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA) and Stella Marys Zalazar of the "Sindicato de Empleadas de Casas de Familia" (Argentina) about the success of the 12x12 campaign to organise domestic workers.
Global: Domestic workers are determined to have strong organizations, says Elizabeth Tang
— by IDWFED — last modified Feb 23, 2016 03:29 PMElizabeth Tang, IDWF General Secretary talks about the IDWF & domestic workers at the ITUC Congress. Listen to what she said on a report of RadioLabour, 2014 May 22.
UK: Justice for Domestic workers - No to slavery - Send your message to prime minister David Cameron
— by IDWFED — last modified Jan 31, 2016 07:06 PMSign the petition and send your message to prime minister David Cameron to raise serious concerns at the removal of the basic rights of migrant domestic workers by the coalition government and the introduction of a visa which "ties" them to their employer. This change has enslaved migrant domestic workers. If they flee abuse and exploitation, their tied status means they have no redress.
Global: ILO says forced labour generates annual profits of US$150 billion
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 31, 2015 05:59 PMForced labour in the private economy generates US$150 billion in illegal profits per year, about three times more than previously estimated, according to a new report from the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Global: The IDWF is now an affiliate of the IUF
— by IDWFED — last modified Jan 31, 2016 07:07 PMThe IDWF is now an affiliate of the IUF (International Union of Food Workers). Yesterday at its Executive Committee meeting, this decision was made as everyone agreed to it.
Global: Myrtle Witbooi's interview with the ITUCCSI - The importance of ratification of C189
— by IDWFED — last modified Feb 23, 2016 03:25 PMMyrtle Witbooi talks about the importance of ratification of C189. "Whatever you are, whether you are a farm worker or domestic worker, you must be proud of yourself. Because there is something in ourselves. When I was a domestic worker, I did not know that I could speak, I did not know I could stand on the stage..."
Jamaica: Household Workers Benefit from Empowerment Course at MIND
— by IDWFED — last modified Jan 31, 2016 06:15 PMThirty women from the Jamaica Household Workers Union (JHWU) have been empowered in advocacy, negotiation, proposal writing, and mediation skills, through a $3.7 million training initiative being carried out at the Management Institute for National Development (MIND). Financed by the Fund for Gender Equity, a special facility of the United Nations Entity for Gender and Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), and implemented by the Bureau of Gender Affair, the six-week training also equipped the participants with public speaking, leadership, and gender mainstreaming skills.
Hong Kong: On families day, reflect on the lives of domestic workers
— by IDWFED — last modified Jul 21, 2015 03:23 PMAround the world, May 15 is celebrated as International Day of Families - an occasion to celebrate the role families play in societies and an opportunity to reflect on the struggles families face in the light of social and economic trends. For the 300,000 migrant workers in Hong Kong who leave their families behind in search of a better future, the sentiments of this day are particularly important.
Global: Human Trafficking Does Not Occur in a Vacuum, by Ai-jen Poo
— by IDWFED — last modified Jan 31, 2016 07:26 PMThe National Domestic Workers Alliance, the International Domestic Workers Federation, and the Africa Domestic Workers Network stand with the young women abducted in Nigeria and their families.* We are organizations that represent women workers in the United States and Africa -- we care about the human rights of women and girls all around the world, we condemn all forms of violence against women, and we join our sisters to demand that the lives of these families that have been torn apart are made whole.
Colombia ratifies the Domestic Workers Convention
— by IDWFED — last modified Jul 21, 2015 03:34 PMOn 9 May 2014, the Government of Colombia deposited with the International Labour Office the instrument of ratification of the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189). Colombia is the fourteenth ILO member State and the eight Latin American member State to ratify this instrument that seeks to improve the working and living conditions of tens of millions of domestic workers worldwide.
USA: Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights Passes Massachusetts Senate
— by IDWFED — last modified Aug 19, 2015 03:52 PMToday the state Senate passed the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights 39-0 with clear bi-partisan support, moving one step closer to becoming a law that ensures workers have basic labor protections such as clarity on what constitutes working time, freedom from sexual harassment, and protection from the abuses of trafficking and from retaliation for asserting wage violations.
Global: Call on your government to support a Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention
— by IDWFED — last modified Jan 31, 2016 07:12 PMMillions of workers are in forced labour and human trafficking. Today's slave trade generates billions of dollars in profits annually. We are all complicit through the goods and services we buy every day. The workers need stronger prevention measures, increased protection and effective compensation. In June 2014, 185 countries will meet at the International Labour Conference in Geneva to update the international law to protect everyone from forced labour. Call on your government to support a Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention.
Paraguay: Rights to social protection - Domestic workers are no exception
— by IDWFED — last modified Jul 21, 2015 03:40 PMA new law which is currently being discussed should make it possible for them to acquire pension rights in line with the ILO’s Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189). Paraguay was the fourth country in South America to ratify the Convention in May 2013. The ILO Convention is considered as a major step forward in improving working and living conditions for domestic workers around the globe. However, the reality is that so far just over 10 per cent of domestic workers are registered with the Instituto de Previsión Social (IPS), the government agency in charge of social security.
Saudi Arabia sets up grievance panels for domestic workers
— by IDWFED — last modified Jul 21, 2015 03:56 PMThe Ministry of Labor has set up grievance committees where domestic workers can file their complaints. Grievances and complaints can be submitted to the committees in various regions of the Kingdom through a form which can be obtained through the ministry’s Domestic Labor Program website www.musaned.gov.sa.
Trinidad & Tobago: NUDE calls for meeting with the Minister of Labour
— by IDWFED — last modified May 03, 2016 06:10 PMA letter was delivered to the Minister of Labour, Errol McLeod, by Ida Le Blanc, General Secretary of the National Union of Domestic Employees (NUDE) on May Day 2014, during the picket of the office of the Minister Of Labour organized by the National Workers Union.
India & Saudi work on modalities for hiring domestic workers
— by IDWFED — last modified Jul 27, 2015 04:24 PMIndia and Saudi Arabia will discuss a legal framework for over 5,00,000 Indian domestic workers in the gulf kingdom to solve any disputes between them and their employers. The officials will discuss the framework that regulates contractual relations between employers and domestic workers, ensures authenticity and implementation of the employment contract, promises action against recruitment agencies violating laws and seeks to establish a mechanism to provide round-the-clock assistance to domestic workers.
Mayday for domestic Workers: Why the demand for domestic workers' rights must be heard
— by IDWFED — last modified May 03, 2016 06:10 PMMore than half of all work carried out by the world's population is domestic care work. So this International Workers Day on 1 May, maybe it's a good time to ask: why do domestic workers have so few rights? And why is no one speaking up about it?
Hong Kong: Worldwide petition collects 103,000 signatures to end HK domestic worker abuse
— by IDWFED — last modified Feb 22, 2016 11:47 PMHuman rights groups have collected 103,307 signatures from more than 160 countries calling on the Hong Kong government to take immediate steps to stop the abuse of foreign domestic workers. Workers' rights campaigners flew in from Africa, India, Nepal and elsewhere to present the petition to the government in Tamar yesterday.
Hong Kong: Over 100,000 Call on HK Government to Act to Protect Migrant Domestic Workers
— by IDWFED — last modified Feb 22, 2016 11:45 PMOrganized by Amnesty International, Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, International Domestic Workers Federation and Walk Free, an international petition with over 100,000 signatures was delivered on April 27 to the Government of Hong Kong calling for an end to the exploitation of migrant domestic workers. The petition, coming just days before the start of the high profile trial of Erwiana Sulistyaningsih’s employer was signed by 103,307 individuals from over 160 countries.
Hong Kong: FADWU statement on Immigration takes away worker's means of living
— by IDWFED — last modified Sep 14, 2015 05:13 PMFADWU PRESS STATEMENT: Immigration takes away worker's means of living - Workers suffer from abuse of power - Abolish the new condition of stay
Trinidad & Tobago: Domestic workers rep calls for less restrictions to free movement
— by IDWFED — last modified Sep 17, 2015 04:18 PMA representative for domestic and household workers in Trinidad and Tobago is calling for CARICOM to take the appropriate measures to ensure the free movement of domestic workers across the region. In 2007 and 2009, CARICOM leaders ratified the free movement of domestic workers and artisans as part of a measure to facilitate free movement of labour in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).
Vietnam: Experts give opinions to new rules on domestic workers
— by IDWFED — last modified Jul 27, 2015 04:51 PMThe new regulations on domestic workers should be more concrete so that they can be implemented efficiently when they take effect next month, some experts have said.
USA: If You Want Better Rights For Domestic Workers, Organize The Parents
— by IDWFED — last modified Jul 27, 2015 06:40 PMHand in Hand, an organization that focuses on the people who employ domestic workers, launched “My Home is Someone’s Workplace,” a project aimed at getting the parents and other employers who hire nannies, home health aides, and housekeepers to sign a pledge toward fair labor practices and offer them a checklist of things they can do to get there. “The goal of the campaign is both for employers to recognize the fact [that they are employers] and to shift the conversation around labor,” Danielle Feris, Hand in Hand’s director, told ThinkProgress, “and also to implement the law,” New York State’s Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, passed in 2010. It even aims to go beyond what’s in the law and emphasize things not covered, like regular check ins and evaluations, cost of living raises and bonuses, and health care and worker’s compensation coverage.
Jamaica: GraceKennedy launches Inaugural GraceKennedy/Heather Little-White Household Worker Award
— by IDWFED — last modified Jul 29, 2015 02:41 PMGraceKennedy is seeking to identify the Household Worker of the Year from nominations from the public. From the nominations, ten finalists will be chosen who will be interviewed by a panel, and the top three selected. The inaugural award, scheduled to become an annual presentation, will see the eventual overall winner receiving a trophy named in memory of Dr. Heather Little-White, a cash award of $250,000 and the opportunity to nominate a student to receive an educational grant.
UK: IDWF Statement - No tied-visa system - Respect and Rights for domestic workers!
— by IDWFED — last modified Jan 31, 2016 07:22 PMOn April 6 2014, we join domestic workers in the UK in commemorating a very sad anniversary: two years earlier, on 6 April 2012, the British Government re-introduced a visa-system, which ties a migrant domestic worker to her/his employer.
South Africa: Aubrey radio talk with Myrtle Witbooi, General Secretary of SADSAWU
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 06, 2015 06:37 PMMyrtle Witbooi, Secretary General of SADSAWU (South Africa Domestic Service and Allied Workers Union) talked to the radio host Aubrey Masango on April 3 about the lived experience of domestic workers. Mrytle spoke about some of the things that these women and men have to endure and how they can go about understanding their rights better and managing power disparities.
Switzerland: Milestone for more protection and quality in the private caregiving
— by IDWFED — last modified Sep 24, 2015 06:33 PMWe congratulate our Swiss affiliate UNIA, which has reached an agreement with an employers' association ("Zu Hause leben" - to live at home) on a collective agreement for care domestic workers in Switzerland. The minimum wage is CHF 22,--/per hour for unskilled workers. Working time and rest time is regulated as also compensation for on call-time and travel between different households.
Petition: Time is running out for Indonesian domestic worker on Saudi death row
— by IDWFED — last modified Jul 29, 2015 03:10 PMWhen Satinah's employer tried to smash her head into a wall after months of alleged abuse, Satinah defended herself with a rolling pin. The 41 year-old foreign domestic worker now faces execution in Saudi Arabi. Please sign the petition calling on the King of Saudi Arabia to stop the execution of Satinah Ahmad and commute her death sentence.