ILO Seeks Global Support for Domestic Worker Protection
Baku, October 26 (AZERTAC). Steps to launch an international convention on domestic workers led by the United Nations are slowly gaining global support at a time of rising demand for domestic staff in the world economy. A senior U.N. International Labor Organization official is confident the convention - aimed at protecting domestic workers and children - will provide coverage against abuses.
The fight for labor rights for millions of domestic workers made significant gains this year during growing support for an International Labor Organization-backed convention, despite initial resistance from countries such as China and Indonesia.
Senior ILO official Manuela Tomei, who oversees work conditions and employment, said the convention - currently in draft form - would mark a major step in labor protection for domestic workers.
"Huge, because it will lay down what minimum protection is for domestic workers at the international level; knowing that nationally there are many countries that exclude from the scope of national legislation, domestic workers. So there is a problem about a lack of norms nationally that could help guide what decent treatment of domestic workers is," said Tomei.
In the June talks, more than 60 countries voted for a set of binding international standards in a convention to protect and empower domestic workers.
Other news in this section
