Dennis Zulu | Domestic workers employment – Social justice challenge worsened by COVID-19

Domestic work has traditionally been characterised by informality – poor working conditions, long hours, low wages, forced labour, and little or no social protection. In other words, domestic workers, such as cleaners, cooks and gardeners, are exposed to a work life that is far from the International Labour Organization (ILO) concept and standard of decent work.

Their realities also typically do not align with the ILO’s aspirations for social justice through which every working man and woman can claim freely, and on the basis of equality of opportunity, of their fair share of the wealth that they have helped to generate.

This situation largely reflects the low social and economic value societies usually place on these workers. And this is often reflected by the lack of protection through the absence of appropriate laws, and inadequate enforcement in situations where they do exist.

Social justice for domestic personnel is difficult to achieve as they are often not recognised as workers. Typically, domestic workers are usually women who are often from poor communities and face discrimination. They work in residential homes, which are not classified as workplaces, so they are likely to work beyond the maximum working hours and are vulnerable to abuse, as these premises are not accessible to labour inspectors.

For over 50 years, the ILO has been concerned with improving the working conditions of domestic workers worldwide. In 1965, the specialised United Nations agency adopted a resolution on the conditions of employment of domestic workers, which recognised the “urgent need” to establish minimum living standards “compatible with the self-respect and human dignity which are essential to social justice”.

SIGNATORY TO CONVENTION

In October 2016, the Government of Jamaica became a signatory to ILO Convention C189: Domestic Workers Convention and has since been working to fulfil the obligations made therein. The objective of the convention is to improve living and working conditions for domestic workers, guaranteeing them a decent job that provides them with protections equivalent to those enjoyed by other workers.

Jamaica’s Occupational Safety and Health Bill, 2017, currently being debated by a joint selection committee of the Parliament, has expanded the definition of a ‘workplace’ to include a residence. The bill therefore places a duty on employers of domestic workers to ensure that the workplace meets safety and health standards as with other workplaces. It is believed that this will help to improve the public perception over time to the concept that domestic work is work.

However, the added socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic to the already-precarious situations of domestic workers have reversed the above-mentioned efforts to improve their conditions, wages and job security. As governments have called on people to stay home, for many domestic workers, staying home has meant losing their jobs without access to social security or emergency economic relief programmes.

The danger of falling into poverty as a result of the crisis doesn’t just affect domestic workers, but also the survival of their families – many of which are headed by single women – and the future of their children.

Through formal employment arrangements, domestic workers in Jamaica can be protected like any other worker that has proper contract arrangements, stability of income, access to social security, and structured cash-transfer programmes. It will also remove any stresses that reduce their mental and physical health so that they can better withstand the impacts of the pandemic.

JAMAICA FORMALISATION PROJECT

Under the Jamaica Formalisation Project, the ILO is working with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to mitigate the increased vulnerability of domestic workers induced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This project builds on previous ILO undertakings in Jamaica linked to Recommendation No. 204 concerning the transition from informal to formal economy. It will provide services, training in business development and support to domestic workers, especially through a collaboration with the Jamaica Household Workers’ Union, so that they can participate in initiatives that improve their income security and offer incentives towards formalisation.

Another key issue is the general public’s perception that household workers are not fully fledged workers with rights worthy of formalisation. This long-standing misconception has been a barrier for action to achieve social justice for domestic workers. The Jamaica Formalisation Project seeks to address is.

Through this collaboration, the ILO is committed to supporting the role and work of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to create an environment shaped by relevant and appropriate laws, policies and programmes that will transition domestic workers from the informal to the formal economy, and make the achievement of social justice the right choice.

Find out more about the Jamaica Formalisation Project at https://www.ilo.org/caribbean/projects/WCMS_771070/lang--en/index.htm.

Dennis Zulu is director of the ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean. Follow him on Twitter @DennisZuluILO or email ilocarib@ilo.org.