Brussels, 13/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 12 May, the European Parliament called for an International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention on domestic work, along with a recommendation on decent conditions for domestic workers. The resolution was adopted by 517 to 64. The author of the resolution is the chair of the EP's employment and social affairs committee, French Socialist Pervenche Berès. It will now be transmitted to the EU Council of Ministers, the European Commission and the ILO.
In the resolution, the EP urges member states that are members of the ILO to adopt these instruments at the ILO conference in June; - calls on EU member states to ratify and apply the ILO convention and recommendation; - urges member states to ratify the international convention on the protection of the rights of immigrant workers and their families that was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 18 December 1990.
The EP calls for the provision of broader access to readily available and affordable high-quality childcare and elderly care facilities, thus helping to ensure that workers are not forced to undertake these duties on an informal basis
The European Parliament considers “that the problem of undeclared work needs to be tackled; states that the domestic work sector is characterised by a high level of informality and undeclared work, that many migrant workers are employed in this sector, and that their rights are often violated; further, considers it essential to combat precarious work in general, given that this problem affects migrant workers in particular, thus worsening their already vulnerable position.”
In a statement, Berès says that an ILO convention should turn what is often exploitation into a properly regulated relationship in an area accounting for between 5% and 9% of the total workforce in the EU. She said that everyone working to look after children or old people should enjoy freedom of association, breaks and rest periods and not suffer harassment or from the whims of their employers. She said this was why the EP wanted to send a strong message of support to the ILO and to trade unions ahead of the negotiations due to start next month at the 100th ILO conference on an ILO convention on domestic work. Berès regretted that the right wing had agreed to be concerned about domestic workers working on the black, while refusing to admit that these are often illegal workers who are the most vulnerable to abuse and precarious conditions.
In the resolution, the EP points out that “the vast majority of the people employed in domestic work are women”; “such work is undervalued, underpaid and informal”; “domestic workers' vulnerability means they are often discriminated against and can easily be subjected to unequal, unfair or abusive treatment”; -“migrant workers taking low-skilled, temporary jobs on the periphery of the labour market or jobs as domestic workers may be exposed to multiple discrimination, since they often work under poor, irregular conditions.” (G. B./transl.fl)