October 7, 2009

Dear Friend of the Solidarity Center,

Today marks the second observance of the International Trade Union Confederation's World Day for Decent Work. Unions from more than 100 countries are mobilizing around the theme, "Get the World to Work." Like the global labor movement, we at the Solidarity Center believe that good jobs are the key to solving the global economic crisis. Unfortunately, more and more workers have become part of the informal economy, working without a guaranteed salary and benefits. Domestic workers are particularly at risk of worker rights abuses. The Solidarity Center and its partners support the creation of an international convention to protect domestic worker rights, and we hope that the International Labor Organization will endorse this convention at its 2010 conference.    

Ellie Larson
Executive Director

Global Network Pushes for Domestic Worker Convention

The Solidarity Center stands with a global network formed to recognize the dignity of domestic workers, promote domestic workers’ efforts to defend their rights, and call on trade union partners to support a new ILO convention for domestic workers.

 
Domestic Workers in the Dominican Republic Unite for Decent Work

Marleni had a good union job in the Dominican Republic. For five years she worked in a garment factory, stitching jeans for a well-known U.S. brand. But when the company pulled out, the factory shut down, and Marleni and her 500 co-workers, mostly women, lost their jobs. After months of searching for other factory work, Marleni, like 75,000 textile workers in her country since 2005, entered the informal economy as a domestic worker.

Solidarity Center Partners Fight for Domestic Worker Rights in Indonesia

In Indonesia, where an estimated 2.5 million people are domestic workers (including more than 850,000 under the age of 17), a growing movement to expand and defend domestic worker rights has steadily gained momentum. With the help of the Solidarity Center, unions and NGO partners in Indonesia are supporting efforts to promote domestic worker rights.

Kenyan Union Makes Domestic Worker Rights a Strategic Priority

Thanks to the Solidarity Center and its Kenyan union partner, more than 3,000 domestic workers in Nairobi and Kisumu are proud union members. "A huge number of us have reported raises in our salary," said a domestic worker after joining KUDHEIHA. "Now we need to continue the campaign until every domestic worker can receive a minimum wage and other rights under law."