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Jamaica: Poems from Jamaica Household Workers Union for C189

Jamaica: Poems from Jamaica Household Workers Union for C189

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by IDWFED published Jun 15, 2013 12:00 AM
Members of Jamaica Household Workers Union, IDWN affiliate, are just talented! To celebrate International Domestic Workers' Day, they organized an activity on 15 June 2013. They wrote poems, sang songs and performed skits. These poems will be sent to the government of Jamaica to press for ratification of C189.
  • Jamaica: Poems from Jamaica Household Workers Union for C189
  • 2013-06-15T00:00:00+00:00
  • 2013-06-15T23:59:59+00:00
  • Members of Jamaica Household Workers Union, IDWN affiliate, are just talented! To celebrate International Domestic Workers' Day, they organized an activity on 15 June 2013. They wrote poems, sang songs and performed skits. These poems will be sent to the government of Jamaica to press for ratification of C189.
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JAMAICA -

Source & Photos: Jamaica Household Workers Union

Members of Jamaica Household Workers Union, IDWN affiliate, are just talented! 

To celebrate International Domestic Workers' Day, they organized an activity on 15 June 2013. They wrote poems, sang songs and performed skits. These poems will be sent to the government of Jamaica to press for ratification of C189.

2013-6-15 Poems from JHWUnion for C189

Jamaica Household Workers Union

Domestic worker got talent using excerpt from C189

I AM A DOMESTIC WORKER – SHIRLEY PRYCE

I am a domestic worker, hear me roar in numbers too big to ignore.  I have been down on the floor but no one ever going to keep me down.
I am a domestic worker and domestic work is work like any other work
I want respect, dignity, recognition and decent work.
O Yes, I am wise, but it is wisdom born of pain, yes, I have paid the price, but look how much I have gained.
If I have to, I will do it all over again.  Oh yea, I am strong, I am invincible

Oh Yes, I am a Domestic Worker and I want respect.
I am a Domestic Worker watch me grow, I can stand with you toe to toe.
I was locked out of the house and left to sleep in the dog house because I want to grow, boss that’s discrimination but yes
I am a Domestic Worker, I am invincible and I am strong
I take pride in what I do; dignity, honesty and respect are the values of my profession.

What!! You don’t respect my talent but something inside me stays strong, stays true
You can bend me but never break me, because it only serves to make me more determined to achieve my goal
But if you bend me I will come back even strong, yes I am strong
STRONG, STRONG because I AM A DOMESTIC WORKER

DECENT WORK - JOAN STEER

A decent work mi say
A decent work mi say
Every household worker is important
Boss am human just like you
You have husband – mi have husband too
You have feelings – mi have it to
You have children – mi have children too
You want respect – mi want it too
So how you fi disrespect you helper?
Remember a she a cook your dinner, and a she a you children Nana!!
A Decent work mi say, decent work mi say
Take away discrimination and give us compensation
We tired a di harassment from sexual exploitation
Decent Work is the right to clean good, working environment.
Right to sick leave, right to overtime pay
Right to vacation leave with pay.

DECENT WORK DECENT PAY – MOVEEN SMITH

This is life, this reality.  This is life, domestic helper reality.
In this ya job you suffer discrimination
In this yah job you go through nuff tribulation
An our employer seem to lack this realization
That we work hard still and that this job is a skill

This life no different from theirs
Them want the best fi dem family
We want the best fi ours too
Them have ambition, we have ambition too.

So, just respect, no badda wid disrespect
Human life:  A Human right
You want vacation leave, we want it too.
Compromise sometime is the human way.
We want decent work, decent pay
Increased food price, no mean fi you one
Increased electricity, no mean fi you one
Increased gas price no mean fi you one.
So, show some affection to our situation
We all a go through the same economical conditions
So human life the decent way
Decent work, Decent pay.

RECOGNITION – MIRIAN BROWN

What we want?  Recognition
We household worker want – recognition
We work into your house from 6 am-8 pm, seven days a week without recognition
A duppy you employ or a human being??
We want recognition
Recognition we want recognition (2)

We tired of the brutalization, the segregation, the discrimination.
We want recognition
Nothing to eat, just work, work and more work.
We want recognition
We tired of the frustration and the confusion.
Right now – we angry, cross and miserable
We want recognition
Recognition (2)
We cook you food, you come and eat
We want recognition
We clean up you house, you come and dirty it
We want recognition
You a de boss, you want recognition, satisfaction and consultation.
We the workers want recognition
What we want? Recognition
What we want?  Recognition
Recognition, Recognition.

THE GARDNER – EDWARD MCGOWAN

Plants need me to grow and to bloom
Watering your plant every day a dat me do
I man is Jack of my trade and a provider
I am a gardener and I love WHAT I do

Clothes iron well smooth; sheets are clean, yard well clean
See how much you really need us to keep the place together
You all lawyers, doctors, you need helpers and gardener
And all we need is decent work.

This is my name and gardener is my trade.
Rake and broom and cutlass are my tool.
Call a helper or gardener we are always there
I am tired of the bad treatment, tired of the discrimination, tire of the segregation
Equality, respect, dignity – is that we a defend
We need the ratification repeat 3 times

RATIFY THE CONVENTION – NICOLA LAWSON

Convention 189 – Stop waste our time and ratify C189.
Don’t you know it is our rights?
Respect, equality, and dignity at dat we sey!
Right? Right?

The right to 8 hour work day
The right to overtime pay
The right to one day off per week
The right to be able to fulfill
Our destiny – right, right??

The right to sick leave
The right to compassionate leave
The right to annual leave
The right to freedom of association
Without no obligation to no one
Right, right??

Mi born come see mi mother a do domestic work.
But right now she no have nothing fi show fi dat
Poor thing!!
She never even know about paying NIS that could guarantee her a little benefit when the time was fit.
All she was a think about is how she a go stretch the little that she have fi mek we eat, and drink
Right, right??

Domestic work is work
Just like any other work
Some call we helper but me think we a household engineer
We wash, we cook, we clean, and we take care of children, Mama and Papa
And if them sick, we turn all doctor
Right, right??

We a nurse, we a teacher, we a driver, we a hairdresser
And when employers have their problems
We turn all big time counselors
Right, right??

If we no turn up one day
And the whole place inna chaos
So we as household engineer need fi know how important we are inna dis ya society ya!!
Right, right??

Big up you self Shirley Pryce
A you make we reach pon top, visibility a dat we get, strength a dat we get
For a you go to Geneva to press dem button and mek our government even pause
Fi think bout we!!
Right, right??

We know wi rights
Cause we were thoroughly inform
At so many seminars
So Government what you a wait pon?
JUST RATIFY the convention star!!
Ratify C189  Nowwwwww

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