News
Italy: Has ratified the C189 (Italian only)
— by IDWFED — last modified Nov 03, 2015 04:01 PMPrevede un pacchetto di diritti essenziali per colf, badanti e babysitter, in buona parte già presenti nella normativa italiana. La firma dopo il pressing dei sindacati, che ora chiedono di facilitare l’emersione del sommerso e rinnovare il contratto collettivo Con la firma del ministro degli Esteri, l’Italia ha ratificato oggi la Convenzione 189 dell’ Organizzazione internazionale del lavoro (ILO) sul “Lavoro dignitoso per le lavoratrici e i lavoratori domestici”. È il primo Paese europeo a fare questo passo, il settimo al mondo dopo Uruguay, Filippine, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Bolivia e Paraguay.
Kuwait: New parliament urged to pass domestic labor law
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 25, 2015 06:17 PMManila-based Filipino recruitment agencies have expressed hope that new parliament in Kuwait would look into the issue of domestic workers and pass a domestic labor law hanging fire.
Australia: Union rally for ratification of ILO Convention 189 on Domestic Workers
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 21, 2015 06:40 PMIUF Asia/Pacific Regional Secretary Ma Wei Pin joined a rally by the affiliated United Voice at the Philippines Consulate in Sydney to press for wide ratification of ILO Convention 189 on domestic workers. A message was delivered congratulating the government of the Philippines as the first country in the region to ratify the Convention.
Hong Kong: Actions of the domestic workers on the International Migrants Day
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 25, 2015 06:26 PMDifferent domestic workers groups organized lots of action today on 16 Dec 2012, in celebration of International Migrants Day and demand for protection on domestic workers.
Philippines: Kasambahay bill crucial in pushing for domestic workers' rights abroad
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 25, 2015 06:53 PMThe enactment of the Kasambahay bill into law will give the Philippines the “moral ascendancy” in pushing for the rights of Filipino domestic workers worldwide, government and nongovernment officials said on Dec 13, Thursday.
Netherlands: In Memory of Slamet Heri Sutarjo, a beloved leader among domestic workers
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 25, 2015 07:10 PMWith sadness I share with you the lost of our friend Slamet Heri Sutarjo. He was a beloved leader among domestic workers and president of the Indonesian migrant group in The Netherlands. Below is a link to a memorial video that was first presented in the Cleaners and Domestic Workers parliament in Amsterdam, celebrated on Dec 3.
Korea: Domestic workers dancing in Gangnam style
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 30, 2015 05:19 PMKorean domestic workers street campaign for ratification of C189
USA: Just Employers - Park Slope Parents Advocate for Domestic Workers' Rights
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 30, 2015 05:13 PM“When my son was three months old and I became a part-time employer of a nanny, I was completely confused about how to be an employer and felt isolated,” says Gayle Kirshenbaum, a Park Slope parent and a founding member of Hand in Hand, a domestic employers association. “I didn’t have a sense of support or guidance. I very much wanted to do the right thing. I didn’t know where to go.”
Qatar: No World Cup without workers' rights - Help us fill all 21282 seats
— by IDWFED — last modified Jan 11, 2016 05:52 PMMore people will die building Qatar's World Cup stadiums than will play in the World Cup. Local laws in Qatar stop migrant workers from forming a trade union, collectively bargaining for better wages, and healthy and safe work. Nearly 200 Nepali workers die each year in Qatar. Qatar refuses to publicly count the number of workers who die or are injured on the job. We want people to know about the problems facing workers in Qatar, where more people will die building the World Cup infrastructure than will play in the World Cup.
South Africa: Domestic Worker's Wage Increase 2012
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 30, 2015 05:41 PMAll employers of domestic workers in South Africa must pay their employees a minimum wage. The increase in the minimum wage for domestic workers is effective from 1 December 2012.
India: Changing Patterms of Domestic Work
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 30, 2015 05:59 PMDomestic work is emerging as and is likely to remain an important activity for women workers in several developing countries, including in urban India. This makes the task of improving labour conditions in such work a difficult but urgent imperative.
Thailand: Honour your domestic workers, fight for women's rights
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 30, 2015 05:47 PMBy making it mandatory for employers to give both Thai and non-Thai domestic workers a day off each week including overtime pay, annual holidays, and paid sick leave, the new regulations help to ditch the long-held belief that household and care work have little economic value.
UK: J4DW (Justice 4 Domestic Workers) shares her activities from 2009-2012
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 31, 2015 05:09 PMNo Return to Slavery. We are workers!
Cambodia: Cambodia Domestic Workers Network (CDWN) founding congress
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 31, 2015 04:50 PMThe public and media in Cambodia are surprised to see now domestic workers in Cambodia are starting to be organized!. Cambodia Domestic Workers Network (CDWN) had its founding congress on Nov 10 and 11, 2012 in Phnom Penh.
Thailand: Thai ministerial regulations to protect domestic workers' rights approved
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 31, 2015 05:24 PMThe ministerial regulations to protect domestic workers' rights had been approved on 30 Oct. According to the Thai laws, the implementation of the ministerial regulations can only be done once they are published in the Gazette. The regulations are currently on the process of submission to Royal Thai Government Gazette and will surely be implemented within this year.
Hong Kong: Indonesian domestic workers keeping their faith
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 31, 2015 05:31 PMForeign domestic helpers from Indonesia now outnumber those from all other countries in HK. Most Indonesian workers are Islamic followers, but they find that keeping the faith in HK is not always easy, Andrea Deng reports.
Global: "Campaigning for Justice: Human Rights Advocacy in Practice"
— by IDWFED — last modified Nov 01, 2015 05:28 PMIn Jo Becker's new book, Campaigning for Justice: Human Rights Advocacy in Practice, it outlines some of the most innovative human rights campaigns of recent years, and how activists were able to fight seemingly intractable abuses to secure concrete advances in human rights.
Namibia: Domestic workers share their heart-breaking stories in a government commission hearing
— by IDWFED — last modified Nov 01, 2015 05:43 PMThe Namibia Government's Wages Commission on Minimum Wages for Domestic Workers held its final hearings this weekend after 6 months of crowded hearings across one of Africa's largest and most sparsely populated countries. Chaired by former deputy prime minister the Hon Dr Libertina Amathila, the tripartite Commission travelled to the remotest parts of Namibia meeting domestic workers to hear evidence from workers and other interested parties on the wages and working conditions of domestic workers.
Bahrain: Domestic workers in Bahrain excluded from key protections
— by IDWFED — last modified Nov 01, 2015 05:55 PMHuman Rights Watch (HRW), a rights-based organisation, has said that Bahrain — a popular job destination for Nepalis in the Gulf region — is not safe for migrant workers. Hundreds of thousands of mostly South Asian migrant workers in Bahrain face exploitation and abuse, HRW said in its 123-page report "For a Better Life: Migrant Worker Abuse in Bahrain and the Government Reform Agenda".
Bolivia: Senate endorsed ratification of C189
— by IDWFED — last modified Nov 01, 2015 06:11 PMIn Bolivia, the Senate endorsed the ratification of C189 on October 25.
Europe: Domestic workers falling through the loopholes
— by IDWFED — last modified Nov 02, 2015 05:29 PMMany domestic workers in Europe do not enjoy as much legal protection as other workers. ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers - which will come into force in a year's time - offers a chance to improve the lives of the millions of people who work in this profession. Rebecca Pabon is a member of the Steering Committee of the IDWN. She believes that domestic workers in Europe need rights and protection just as much as their counterparts in other parts of the world. At the ILO interview, she explained how without legal protection, "that people will find more loopholes to bring 'cheap labour' into Europe."
Bangladesh: DWRN urged the government protecting domestic workers
— by IDWFED — last modified Nov 02, 2015 05:36 PMDomestic Workers' Rights Network (DWRN) organised the human chain on October 22 in front of Jatiya Press Club in the capital. Speakers at a human chain urged the government to enact separate laws to promote rights of domestic workers and curb violence against them. They also demanded that the government takes immediate measures so that domestic workers would no longer be considered informal labourers and not be easily exploited.
Nicaragua: The National Assembly unanimously approved the C189
— by IDWFED — last modified Nov 02, 2015 06:01 PMAfter Uruguay, Philippines, Mauritius, Nicaragua now ratifies C189!
India: "Rate Card" Sets Minimum Standards on Domestic Work
— by IDWFED — last modified Nov 03, 2015 03:47 PMThe Resident Welfare Association (RWA) of a complex in Gurgaon, National Capital Region (NCR), New Delhi, India issued attachments to all owners of apartments in the condominium for their feedback or suggestion on the “Rate Card” which is to be implemented in the complex.
India: Delhi Government extends cashless health insurance cover to domestic workers
— by IDWFED — last modified Nov 03, 2015 03:54 PMn a bid to ensure better medical care to the economically weaker section, Delhi Government has decided to extend cashless health insurance cover to domestic workers, street vendors, railway porters and hawkers in the city, reports PTI. Domestic workers can approach either Resident Welfare Associations or the Office of Sub-Divisional Magistrates to get the their names enrolled under the scheme.
Bahrain: Passes new Labour Law to protect domestic workers
— by IDWFED — last modified Nov 03, 2015 04:02 PMBahrain has passed a new labor law, Labor Law 36, protecting the rights of workers after four years of delays. The legislation, which has been ratified by King Hamad, will impose harsher penalties on employers risking employees’ health and safety, and will also increase vacation time to 30 days and lengthen maternity leave. The law also, for the first time, protects domestic workers.
USA: NDWA said it was shocked as the California Governor vetoed the Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights
— by IDWFED — last modified Nov 03, 2015 04:09 PMLast night California's Governor Brown vetoed AB889 – the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights. While we knew it was a possibility we were shocked.
USA: Support California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights - Sign the Petition TODAY!
— by IDWFED — last modified Jan 11, 2016 05:44 PMToday, we know that domestic work is real work — from New York to California, we know it’s the work that makes all other work possible. It’s time to put an end to 74 years of exclusion and extend dignity, respect, and basic labor protections to domestic workers across the nation. We are now on the verge of passing a domestic workers bill. Please support and sign the petition.
GCC: Why Ethiopian Domestic Workers Insecure in Gulf
— by IDWFED — last modified Nov 03, 2015 04:23 PMFemale economic migrants in these countries are highly exposed for insecure conditions due to various reasons. However, the female domestic workers trafficking or modern slavery is currently at increasing rate and in relative speaking their insecurity at their destination has also highly increasing and beyond one can imagine. Managing this highest domestic workers trafficking has become a challenge to the government. The question is why migrant female domestic workers in the GCC countries are highly exposed for insecure conditions. This article tries to address the major social and political causes for vulnerability and insecurity of the female domestic workers in the GCC countries.
Trinidad & Tobago: NUDE campaign led to registration of Domestic Workers
— by IDWFED — last modified Nov 05, 2015 03:20 PMThe Ministry of Labour Small and Micro Enterprise Development hosted a function on Friday 21st September to launch a National Register of Domestic Workers. The function held at the Hyatt Hotel Wrightson Road was a step taken in response to the National Union of Domestic Employees’ (NUDE) campaign to extend the same measure of protection afforded to workers in industry and service sectors.