The Convention on Domestic Workers, formally the Convention concerning Decent Work for Domestic Workers is a convention setting labour standards for

domestic worker A domestic worker is a person who works within a residence and performs a variety of household services for an individual, from providing cleaning and household maintenance, or cooking, laundry and ironing, or care for children and elderly ...

s. It is the 189th ILO convention and was adopted during the 100th session of the

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is one of the firs ...

, in 16 June 2011. It entered into force on 5 September 2013.

Rights

The main rights given to domestic workers as

decent work Decent work is employment that "respects the fundamental rights of the human person as well as the Labor rights, rights of workers in terms of conditions of work safety and remuneration. ... respect for the physical and mental integrity of the ...

are daily and weekly (at least 24 h) rest hours, entitlement to

minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. List of countries by minimum wage, Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation b ...

and to choose the place where they live and spend their leave. Ratifying states parties should also take protective measures against violence and should enforce a

minimum age The age of majority is the threshold of legal adulthood as recognized or declared in law. It is the moment when a person ceases to be considered a minor, and assumes legal control over their person, actions, and decisions, thus terminating th ...

which is consistent with the minimum age at other types of employment. Workers furthermore have a right to a clear (preferably written) communication of employment conditions which should in case of international recruitment be communicated prior to

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as Permanent residency, permanent residents. Commuting, Commuter ...

. They are furthermore not required to reside at the house where they work, or to stay at the house during their leave.

Adoption and entry into force

The convention was put to vote on 16 June 2011 by a vote at the ILO conference in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

. As ILO is a

tripartite Tripartite means composed of or split into three parts, or refers to three parties. Specifically, it may also refer to any of the following: * 3 (number) * Tripartite alignment, in linguistics * Tripartite motto, or hendiatris, a figure of speech ...

organization, for every country the government, employers and workers' representatives are entitled to vote. The convention was adopted with 396 votes in favour and 16 against (and 63 abstentions). All Persian Gulf states voted in support, while abstentions were cast by (amongst others) the United Kingdom. The convention entered into force one year after ratification by two countries, which is a standard entry into force condition for ILO conventions. Ratifications are to be communicated to the Secretary-General of the ILO. On 26 April 2012, the

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

an parliament approved the convention and thereby became the first country to ratify it, followed by presidential assent on 30 April 2012 and deposit of its instrument of ratification in June 2012.One year on, Uruguay is first to ratify ILO domestic work Convention
ILO As of October 2021, it has been ratified by 35 states.

Measures for domestic workers due to the Covid-19 phenomenon

The ILO estimated that 49.3% of domestic workers were significantly affected in the early stages of the pandemic. That figure peaked at 73.7 per cent on 15 May and then fell to 72.3 per cent on 4 June. At the beginning of June 2020, the number of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

infections exceeded 7.3 million cases in most countries and territories. As the number of cases spread so did the measures. In order to facilitate

physical distancing Physical may refer to: *Physical examination In a physical examination, medical examination, clinical examination, or medical checkup, a medical practitioner examines a patient for any possible medical signs or symptoms of a Disease, medical co ...

, most countries have adopted full or partial blocking measures to prevent transmission. Experience of the COVID-19 infection crisis showed that social protection and active labour market policy require strategically integrated planning and implementation. Preventing further job losses during the recession and preparing the workforce for the labour market supply is necessary during the future economic recovery. Strengthening synergy among social protection measures is a priority in supporting the ILO for its constituents.

References

{{Reflist

External links

* Full text o
Convention 189 & Recommendation 201 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers
at the website of ILO

Parties

Ratifications
2011 in Switzerland Domestic work 21st century in Geneva

Domestic workers A domestic worker is a person who works within a residence and performs a variety of household services for an individual, from providing cleaning and household maintenance, or cooking, laundry and ironing, or care for children and elderly de ...

Domestic Workers A domestic worker is a person who works within a residence and performs a variety of household services for an individual, from providing cleaning and household maintenance, or cooking, laundry and ironing, or care for children and elderly de ...

Treaties of Antigua and Barbuda Treaties of Argentina Treaties of Belgium Treaties of Brazil Treaties of Bolivia Treaties of Chile Treaties of Colombia Treaties of Costa Rica Treaties of the Dominican Republic Treaties of Ecuador Treaties of Finland Treaties of Germany Treaties of Guyana Treaties of Ireland Treaties of Italy Treaties of Jamaica Treaties of Madagascar Treaties of Malta Treaties of Mauritius Treaties of Namibia Treaties of Nicaragua Treaties of Norway Treaties of Panama Treaties of Paraguay Treaties of the Philippines Treaties of Portugal Treaties of Sierra Leone Treaties of South Africa Treaties of Sweden Treaties of Switzerland Treaties of Uruguay 2011 in labor relations

Rights

Adoption and entry into force

Measures for domestic workers due to the Covid-19 phenomenon

See also

References

External links