International Domestic Workers Federation IDWF e-Newsletter #33
DOMESTIC WORKERS AT THE FRONT-LINES
We partnered up with informal economy workers’ organizations across the global economy to call for our inclusion in relief, recovery and resilience efforts led by governments.
Nothing for us without us: we are 2 Billion Strong and #RecoveryStartsWithUs.
Join us in the 2 Billion Strong campaign, which raises the demands of workers of the informal economy.
This week, we join our voices to our sisters and brothers from HomeNet.
The National Domestic and Allied Workers Union (NDAWU) is an affiliate of the IDWF. It is the largest Namibian trade union federation concerned with the plight of domestic workers.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic resulted in negative consequences for domestic workers in Namibia; such as, job losses, reduction of working days and forced leave without pay and left domestic workers in dire situations.
To respond NDAWU has been doing a number of activities like following up on grievance cases related to COVID-19 and it has been successful with assisting several people! The union has been using the Labour Act as the guidance in solving the cases and regulations of the state of emergency declared by the President.
Also, NDAWU has been disseminating information to its members as well as the general public on COVID-19 and how people could protect themselves from the virus through social media platforms, radio stations, television, a newspaper as well as posters and leaflets. Furthermore, with the support of IDWF and its partners, it has also distributed food parcels to domestic workers in need.
The NDAWU General Secretary, Nellie Kahua, has also been addressing the general public to raise awareness on the challenges that domestic workers are facing during the time of COVID-19. NDAWU has noticed that this difficult situation has allowed more domestic workers to see the value in joining the union and this resulted in more members!
Our Policy Brief Recommendations for Domestic Workers under COVID-19:
While contexts are diverse across the regions, the core demands of domestic workers movements are the same and resonate with one another. Aside the urgent alleviation of the COVID-19 induced hardships, they look into the deeper-seated injustices, to make sustainable change towards the alleviation of economic and gender inequalities of the sector. The recommendations are as follows:
Information and Outreach:
Ensure the timely, transparent and rightful access to information, that accurately reflects the figures and cases related to COVID-19.
Protect the freedom of expression as crucial for the mutual learning and public sharing of knowledge and information from the ground.
Make available information on the symptoms and the prevention of COVID-19 in the languages of domestic workers, including helplines financially and linguistically accessible to domestic workers who are migrants
Lead awareness raising campaigns aimed at employers, domestic workers, and the society at large about domestic workers rights under COVID-19.
The concerned authorities or executives to delegate the identification of informal domestic workers to workers’ organizations in order to facilitate aid distributions.
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