Rights should be equally protected for the employers and domestic workers
A group of parliamentarians from Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka on Wednesday called for the ratification of the International Labour Organisation’s Convention on Domestic Workers to protect the rights of the workers. The parliamentarians made the call in a joint statement at a dialogue organised by the Parliamentarians Caucus on Migration and Development of the Jatiya Sangsad, WARBE Development Foundation and Migrant Forum in Asia. In Asia, domestic workers work is a significant sector of employment with estimate of 21 million in Asia and another 2 million in the Middle East. In Bangladesh, 1.3 million are in household work and among them 80 per cent are female and most of them are children and young in age. Asia hosts the biggest number of domestic workers but only one country in the region had ratified the ILO Convention. Experts have said it is imperative for Bangladesh to ratify the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 189 on domestic workers, to protect the rights of the workers and ensure decent working conditions.
A strong political will and commitment is needed to ratify the Convention. Domestic workers are neither servants nor second class workers and they are also entitled to decent work like other workers. The Bangladesh government approved the Domestic Workers’ Protection and Welfare Policy (DWPWP) on December 21 in 2015.The adoption of the DWPWP marked a milestone in providing legal recognition to domestic service in the country. However the government needs to revise the policy, as it does not touch many components such as minimum wage, minimum working hours, and leave. The government has had many achievements in various sectors, but the issues of domestic workers are yet to be properly addressed, despite promises from the government for the last five years. The reality is that the workers are unable to get the government to do their bidding as they don’t have a strong union or representative body which can muscle its way into enacting legislation for their betterment.
Until the situation changes the workers’ rights will not be addressed. As the saying goes, only the child who cries loudest gets the attention.
A strong political will and commitment is needed to ratify the Convention. Domestic workers are neither servants nor second class workers and they are also entitled to decent work like other workers. The Bangladesh government approved the Domestic Workers’ Protection and Welfare Policy (DWPWP) on December 21 in 2015.The adoption of the DWPWP marked a milestone in providing legal recognition to domestic service in the country. However the government needs to revise the policy, as it does not touch many components such as minimum wage, minimum working hours, and leave. The government has had many achievements in various sectors, but the issues of domestic workers are yet to be properly addressed, despite promises from the government for the last five years. The reality is that the workers are unable to get the government to do their bidding as they don’t have a strong union or representative body which can muscle its way into enacting legislation for their betterment.
Until the situation changes the workers’ rights will not be addressed. As the saying goes, only the child who cries loudest gets the attention.
