Domestic workers should fight for their rights – TUC Boss
The Secretary General of Ghana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), Mr Kofi Asamoah, on Friday said there was the need to educate domestic workers to unite and fight for their rights.
He said “While these workers perform all kinds of difficult chores and duties, they are often treated with scorn and respected very little. We ask the media to sensitise domestic workers on the fact that there is an international convention on their rights, the ratification of which is in the pipe-line.”
Mr Asamoah made the call at a press conference on the Ratification of International Labor Organisation (ILO) Domestic Workers Convention, and Protection of the Human Rights of Domestic Workers, in Accra.
He said with the adoption of the convention, there was the need to have it ratified saying “The moment the convention is ratified, the National Tripartite Committee and the Ministry of Employment and Social well-fare, would ensure, that domestic workers’ rights are fully respected, while every provision by the law on their rights would be strictly adhered to.
“We believe Africa would play a leading role in the ratification of the Convention for Greater Rights and Freedoms for Domestic Workers,” he said.
Mrs Myrtle Witbooi, Chairperson of International Domestic Workers Network (IDWN), said domestic workers were generally the poorest paid and most vulnerable workers.
She said this was largely due to the fact that they had not been recognised as workers and hence, denied their basic rights, leading to serious violations of their rights such as the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining, the right to social protection and equal treatments.
“We are concerned about the fact that in this country, wherever domestic workers are considered to be a part of the family relations of their employers, they are denied their rights as workers,” she said.
Mrs Witbooi said ILO Convention C189 and Recommendations R201, had provided guidance to governments on how to rectify the situation to ensure, that all domestic workers enjoyed the same protections and rights.
She said her organisation was extremely pleased to know that the government was preparing a memorandum to Parliament to call for approval to ratify the convention.
“The Minister said he believes now is the time to go beyond policy and move into action adding that he would be prepared to work with the platform of domestic workers,” she said.
Mrs Witbooi said, “We would like to congratulate the Government for having created a Policy Task Force to formulate policies and laws to address issues of domestic workers”.
The overwhelming vote for the ILO Convention No. 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers (C189), which came into being on June 16, 2011, came after decades of struggle by domestic workers organisations for recognition of rights and respect.
It was the result of two long negotiation sessions at the International Labour Conferences of 2010 and 2011.
Source: GNA