UN study: 90 percent of domestic workers have no labor protection

Around 90 percent of the world’s 67 million domestic workers have no access to social security protection, with migrants left particularly vulnerable, the International Labor Organization said.

Domestic work is largely “undervalued and unprotected,” the UN labor agency said in a new report.

MIGRANT WORKERS

Every day, scores of Filipino migrant workers pass through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on their way to or from foreign countries. (MB file photo/Anjo Perez)
“When domestic workers become old or injured, they are fired, without a pension or adequate income support,” said Isabel Ortiz, head of the ILO social protection department.

The report noted that women were by a wide margin the most affected, accounting for 80 percent of all domestic workers globally.

In Italy, roughly 60 percent of domestic workers are excluded from social security systems, the report said. The same was true for 30 percent of domestic workers in France and Spain.

Not surprisingly, the largest gaps in protection for domestic workers were most severe in developing countries.

For migrants seeking domestic work, including those flocking to Europe amid the current massive movement of people towards the continent, labor protection is especially rare.

Certain countries which have legally mandated social security systems for domestic workers specifically exclude migrants from those programs, the ILO said.

Ensuring social protection for domestic workers is challenging, the report said, in part because of the extremely high turnover and because many in the sector work for multiple employers under informal arrangements.

“There is no single protection model that works best for domestic workers everywhere,” said Fabio Duran-Valverde, the ILO’s senior economist.

“But mandatory coverage (instead of voluntary coverage) is a crucial element for achieving adequate and effective coverage under any system.”

The Labor Code of the Philippines defines “domestic or household service” as a “service in the employer’s home” that provides convenience and personal comfort to the employer.

According to the ILO, around 1.9 million are in domestic service in the Philippines, while Filipino migrant domestic workers comprise an increasing share of deployed overseas workers reaching 15 percent in 2008 and 22 percent in 2009.

Domestic workers in the Philippines or “kasambahay” include maids, cooks, nannies, drivers, and all-around helpers.

In 2010, the average daily pay received by domestic workers was P132.6 per day across the country; P176.2 per day in the National Capital Region; and P158.3 per day in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon (CALABARZON) Region, according to the ILO.

Under the Labor Code, domestic workers are entitled to lodging, food, and medical assistance; and those earning over P1,000 a month must be enrolled in the social security system.

Read more at http://www.mb.com.ph/un-study-90-percent-of-domestic-workers-have-no-labor-protection/#Ezv0AIWEOVJkLcU1.99