IDWN Representatives at the ILC Plenary Session - Read their interventions
Myrtle Witbooi, IDWN Chair and
Marcelina Bautista, IDWN Latin American Regional Coordinator
Historic Victory for Domestic Workers in New York
USA -- New York State is the first of the United States to pass legislation extending legal protections and employment benefits to domestic workers. Both the New York Senate and Assembly have passed laws extending overtime, paid leave and termination notice rights to domestic workers. Justice for domestic workers led the agenda at the recent U.S.
Govt Blasted for Opposing ILO Pact
The Jakarta Globe - June 30, 2010
by Putri Prameshwari
Labor activists have denounced the opposition by the Indonesian delegation to an International Labor Organization meeting this month to drafting a convention that would have provided legal protection for workers.
Lita Anggraini, chairwoman of the National Network for Domestic Workers Advocacy (Jala PRT), said the government's decision at the 99th International Labor Conference in Geneva, held from June 2-18, to vote against a convention on workers' protection was "a betrayal of their own nation."
"The points in the convention are similar to what we have included in a draft of the domestic workers' bill," she said.
African Delegation Reports on ILO Conference
The ILC 99th session of June 2010 held in Geneva was a historic event in the domestic workers committee. It was a unique in terms of good attendance of the delegates, as well as active participation by Government, Employers and Workers group during the discussion.
Domestic Workers Begin to See Some Rights
By Claudia Ciobanu
BUCHAREST, Jun 30, 2010 (IPS) - Twenty-seven-year-old Maria Puscariu is about to complete her MA in philosophy at a Belgian university. The Moldovan has been working for over five years as a domestic worker in Western Europe in order to support herself and finance her studies.
Puscariu started out as care worker in the Lisbon home of a patient with a mental condition. Even though the Portuguese family she worked for treated her well, she had to be careful not to upset her employers.
First Round Victory in ILO Fight for Domestic Workers
Domestic workers fighting for rights and recognition through binding international standards won a crucial first round victory at the this year's International Labour Conference at the ILO in Geneva. On June 4, 61 governments voted in favour of a Convention supplemented by a Recommendation, against 14 voting for a Recommendation only.
Another partner, Anti-Slavery International, has launched a new campaign to support IDWN and others in calling for a new International Labour Organization Convention on domestic work. Click on the icon to get to the campaign website.
