Trade unions seek to protect domestic, migrant workers

Kenyan trade unions have kicked off a campaign to urge the government to ratify the International Labour Organisation (ILO) treaty, which seeks to recognise domestic workers and migrant labourers.Milka Isinta, a representative of the domestic workers body in Kenya, said the main workers union, the Confederation of Trade Unions (COTU), was currently holding talks with the government to ratify the ILO Convention. Isinta, National Coordinator at the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotel, Educational Institutions and Hospitals & Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA), representing domestic workers, said getting the initial two ratifications to bring the treaty into force was harder.KUDHEIHA represents workers at hospitals, universities, hotels and other categories of domestic workers, whose interest it represents at the COTU. “The greatest challenge is to get the countries to ratify the ILO Convention 189 which came into being in June, 2011,” Isinta told Xinhua late on Monday on the sidelines of an African Development Bank (AfDB) meeting with African civil society groups.She said once the government of Kenya has ratified the Convention, a second African country could also ratify the convention, setting the stage for the formal representation of the domestic workers into the workers unions. “We are working with specific Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) dealing with migrants and domestic workers. This convention has not been ratified. We are working to have Kenya ratify it,” she added.Manuela Tomei, the Director of ILO’s Labour Protection Department, said in a statement that the domestic labour market remains one of the least regulated markets, yet it stands out for its importance in the overall running of economies. “Domestic work is internationally recognized as work, and domestic workers as deserving the same legal protection as workers generally,” Tomei said.The ILO confirmed two ratifications are required for the new Convention to enter into force. The ILO says if ratified, millions of domestic workers who get paid below the minimum wage and rarely benefit from health insurance, paid leave, or even time off would be entitled to protection. “Take one sick day, and you are likely to be fired, with no unemployment benefits to speak of. In some parts of the world, domestic workers face physical and sexual abuse, seclusion, conditions of near slavery, and even murder,” Tomei regretted. ILO figures show 44 million worldwide, mostly women are engaged as domestic workers. The UN body classifies domestic work as essential for the smooth running of not only households but also labour markets. “It secures care for our children and our homes, allowing our doctors, teachers, lawyers and millions of others to, in turn, go to work,” Tomei said. The Convention requires domestic workers should be entitled to social security and a minimum wage--where the latter applies to workers generally-- fair terms of employment, and effective protection against all forms of abuse, harassment and violence.

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Trade unions seek to protect domestic, migrant workers