The International Labour Organization said there are 75.6 million domestic workers worldwide. Despite the enforcement of the International Domestic Workers Convention a decade ago, about 96 percent of them still do not enjoy a full range of social protection, according to the ILO.
In a recent report—“Making the right to social security a reality for domestic workers: A global review of policy trends, statistics and extension strategies”—the ILO said only 6 percent of the 75.6 million domestic workers worldwide are covered by medical care, sickness, unemployment, old age, employment injury, family, maternity, invalidity and survivors’ benefits. (Read, ILO: 96% of domestic workers still don’t enjoy full social protection, in the BusinessMirror, June 16, 2022).
“Even where they are legally covered, only one-in-five domestic workers are actually covered in practice because the vast majority are employed informally,” the ILO said. Most of those who enjoy the comprehensive social welfare protection are from Europe and Central Asia, while almost all of those employed in Arab States, Asia and the Pacific and Africa do not have such benefits.
To address the plight of these workers, ILO urged more countries to adopt the provisions of its convention No. 189 or the Domestic Workers Convention of 2011 or Recommendation 2011, which stipulate the basic standards for the protection for domestic workers. The said convention and recommendation set the minimum labor standards for domestic workers, which should be on a par with those employed in other sectors. Currently, only 35 of the 187 ILO member countries have ratified the Domestic Workers Convention. The Philippines is the only country in Asia that ratified the Convention.
“With few rights and little social protection, domestic workers were often cast aside during the Covid-19 pandemic to fend for themselves,” said Chihoko Asada-Miyakawa, the International Labour Organization’s Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. In a recent BusinessMirror article—It’s time to give domestic workers across Asia-Pacific the rights they deserve—she explained why it’s time for change.
“With whole families working and studying from home during lockdowns, domestic workers kept households running smoothly. Many stayed on to do this work, even though their workloads and hours increased, as did their isolation from family, friends and support services. Yet domestic workers were still dismissed because employers were worried about catching Covid from them. Most employers were not obliged to give severance pay, and, on top of that, domestic workers usually found themselves excluded from Covid-19 social assistance programs,” Asada-Miyakawa said.
She urged governments to take action to change the attitudes, laws and practices that have left domestic workers so vulnerable. She said: “Every household that employs a domestic worker must ensure they are paying at least minimum wage and overtime pay; that they sign workers up to social security and insurance schemes where they exist; that they work in safety and free from violence and harassment; and that workers have regular hours and rest days.”
In a recent survey conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment and the Philippine Statistics Authority, about 1.4 million Filipinos are working as domestic workers or “kasambahay” in the country. They account for about 3.2 percent of the labor force in the Philippines as of October 2020.
We take pride in the fact that the Philippines is the only country in Asia that ratified the ILO’s Domestic Workers Convention. If you employ a “kasambahay,” we hope that you acknowledge and reward the essential work that your house help does; that you treat your maid with respect; that you ensure that she is not overworked; and that you provide social protection that gives long-term security to your “kasambahay.” As a wise man has said, along with salary, also pay respect to your maid.