Trade unions sharing experiences in promoting decent work for domestic workers through unionization in India
Today, a two-day workshop on sharing experience in organizing domestic workers closed in Bangalore, India. The event was organised by the ILO
BANGALORE (ILO NEWS) - A two-day workshop on sharing experience in organizing domestic workers closed in Bangalore today. The event was organised by the International Labour Organization (ILO) through a Swedish funded Project on Making Decent Work a Reality for Domestic Workers.
Domestic work is one of the largest sectors of work in India and it is an important source of employment for many, especially women, in need of securing a livelihood. Despite its growing size and importance both for workers and families who benefit from their labour, domestic work remains unregulated and workers face multiple decent work deficits. They work in private households with often long and unpredictable working hours, and their remuneration tends to be among the lowest in the labour market.
The level of education of domestic workers is generally low. Domestic workers, especially those live-in workers perform their duties to a large extent in relative isolation from other workers as their workplace is a private household. These factors leave them with a low level of individual and collective bargaining power to advocate for their rights to decent work. Therefore, the formation and strengthening of domestic workers’ organizations is an important component of realizing decent work for domestic workers.
However, there are many challenges in organizing domestic workers; in addition to the isolation mentioned above, socio-cultural factors such as language barriers in case of migrant domestic workers, long working hours, and workers’ fear of losing their job also play a role. Despite these challenges, domestic workers in India, with support from trade unions, have tried to take control of their working lives by organizing with support from trade unions. It is important to review these experiences to further support the formation and strengthening of domestic workers’ organizations.
In this context, the workshop provided a forum for sharing experiences of All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), National Domestic Workers Movement (NDWM), Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Tamil Nadu Domestic Workers’ Union (TNDWU), and Trade Union Coordination Centre (TUCC). The workshop also reviewed the global initiatives in organizing domestic workers, the ILO Convention No. 189 on Domestic Workers, an international legal instrument to promote decent work for domestic workers, and the government’s initiatives towards adoption of a National Policy on Domestic Workers and inclusion of domestic workers under existing social protection schemes.
In the workshop, trade union leaders and members reiterated the importance of organizing domestic workers by addressing various challenges, and expressed that raising awareness on the rights of domestic workers among workers themselves as well as employers, ensuring the access to social security, and mobilising support in favour of National Policy on Domestic Workers, are priority areas of work to improve working and living conditions of domestic workers in India.
The experiences shared from this workshop will form the basis for a Module for Organizing Domestic Workers, which is scheduled to be developed later this year for use by trade unions working towards decent work for domestic workers.
Ms Tine Staermose
Director
ILO Decent Work Team for South Asia and Country Office for India
Tel. +91 11 47509200
Email:
Ms. Suneetha Eluri
ILO Project on Making Decent Work a Reality for Domestic Workers
National Project Coordinator
Tel. +91 11 47509284
Email:
Domestic work is one of the largest sectors of work in India and it is an important source of employment for many, especially women, in need of securing a livelihood. Despite its growing size and importance both for workers and families who benefit from their labour, domestic work remains unregulated and workers face multiple decent work deficits. They work in private households with often long and unpredictable working hours, and their remuneration tends to be among the lowest in the labour market.
The level of education of domestic workers is generally low. Domestic workers, especially those live-in workers perform their duties to a large extent in relative isolation from other workers as their workplace is a private household. These factors leave them with a low level of individual and collective bargaining power to advocate for their rights to decent work. Therefore, the formation and strengthening of domestic workers’ organizations is an important component of realizing decent work for domestic workers.
However, there are many challenges in organizing domestic workers; in addition to the isolation mentioned above, socio-cultural factors such as language barriers in case of migrant domestic workers, long working hours, and workers’ fear of losing their job also play a role. Despite these challenges, domestic workers in India, with support from trade unions, have tried to take control of their working lives by organizing with support from trade unions. It is important to review these experiences to further support the formation and strengthening of domestic workers’ organizations.
In this context, the workshop provided a forum for sharing experiences of All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), National Domestic Workers Movement (NDWM), Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Tamil Nadu Domestic Workers’ Union (TNDWU), and Trade Union Coordination Centre (TUCC). The workshop also reviewed the global initiatives in organizing domestic workers, the ILO Convention No. 189 on Domestic Workers, an international legal instrument to promote decent work for domestic workers, and the government’s initiatives towards adoption of a National Policy on Domestic Workers and inclusion of domestic workers under existing social protection schemes.
In the workshop, trade union leaders and members reiterated the importance of organizing domestic workers by addressing various challenges, and expressed that raising awareness on the rights of domestic workers among workers themselves as well as employers, ensuring the access to social security, and mobilising support in favour of National Policy on Domestic Workers, are priority areas of work to improve working and living conditions of domestic workers in India.
The experiences shared from this workshop will form the basis for a Module for Organizing Domestic Workers, which is scheduled to be developed later this year for use by trade unions working towards decent work for domestic workers.
For further information please contact:
Ms Tine Staermose
Director
ILO Decent Work Team for South Asia and Country Office for India
Tel. +91 11 47509200
Email:
Ms. Suneetha Eluri
ILO Project on Making Decent Work a Reality for Domestic Workers
National Project Coordinator
Tel. +91 11 47509284
Email: