T&T's National Union of Domestic Workers receives ILO and UNIFEM support
With financial support from UNIFEM, the ILO has been providing technical advice to NUDE for the development of a strategic plan for the period 2011-2015 and the corresponding action plan for the first two years.
The International Labour Organization (ILO), Office for the Caribbean and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) are supporting the renewed efforts of the National Union of Domestic Employees (NUDE) of Trinidad and Tobago to mobilize domestic workers to understand the decent work concept while strengthening its capacity to represent and defend the rights and interests of domestic workers. This follows the decision taken by the ILO's International Labour Conference in June 2010 to establish a first-ever international labour standard for domestic workers. Entitled ‘Decent Work for Domestic Workers’, the proposed new standard is expected to be adopted in 2011.
With financial support from UNIFEM, the ILO has been providing technical advice to NUDE for the development of a strategic plan for the period 2011-2015 and the corresponding action plan for the first two years. This activity has brought more than 20 NUDE members together to map out their strategic vision for the Organization and the concrete activities needed to contribute to the achievement of the Plan.
Together, the strategic plan and the 18-month ILO-UNIFEM project aim to achieve the following objectives:
With financial support from UNIFEM, the ILO has been providing technical advice to NUDE for the development of a strategic plan for the period 2011-2015 and the corresponding action plan for the first two years. This activity has brought more than 20 NUDE members together to map out their strategic vision for the Organization and the concrete activities needed to contribute to the achievement of the Plan.
Together, the strategic plan and the 18-month ILO-UNIFEM project aim to achieve the following objectives:
- to strengthen the capacity of NUDE to fulfil its mandate and to ensure the sustainability of the Union;
- to promote the protection of the rights of domestic workers and the elimination of gender inequality through sensitization and awareness-raising programmes;
- to organize workers continuously – domestic workers as well as other workers in identified occupations – to ensure the sustained viability and increased strength of the union; and
- to contribute to a network of organizations which advocate for and promote the development of laws and policies based on the principle of decent work for the protection of domestic workers in the Caribbean.
NUDE has been working tirelessly to get trade unions and Governments in the region to pay close attention to and support the development of an international standard for domestic workers through ensuring inputs into the process. Ms. Ida LeBlanc, General-Secretary of NUDE, was a resource person at the seminar that preceded the Caribbean Congress of Labour's 17th Triennial Conference held in Grenada in October, at which the issue of the proposed standard for domestic workers was discussed.