December 2013
DOMESTIC WORKERS NEWSLETTER
Issue 13
ILO Campaign
DWAG is calling on Irish Government to Ratify Domestic Workers Convention!
Thanks to the great efforts and support by our Champion for Domestic Workers’ Rights
Emer Costello (Labour MEP for Dublin), a vote by the European Parliament on
December 11th has paved the way for the ratification of a key International Labour
Organisation (ILO) Convention 189 that will provide decent working conditions to
domestic workers. The vote was welcomed by Emer Costello who urged the Irish
Government to make ratification a priority. The 2011 ILO Convention requires all
ratifying states to ensure decent working conditions with fundamental labour rights for
domestic workers and to prevent abuse, violence and child labour in domestic work.
The Domestic Workers Action Group is looking forward to the next step in the very near
future when Minister Bruton will finally ratify the ILO Convention in Ireland.
DWAG GALA 2013 - DWAG’s 10th Anniversary Celebration
This year we had an extra special GALA event as DWAG is celebrating its 10th Anniversary! The Gala Dinner went very
well, we had a lovely dinner and great entertainment on the night. Special thanks to all the Gala Committee members
who worked hard and helped to organise this great event!
We also had a very special Guest of Honour Ai-jen Poo who came directly from America. Ai-jen
is an American activist, the director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance in the USA and
co-director of Caring Across Generations, a national coalition of 200 advocacy organizations.
She is also the lead organiser and founder of Domestic Workers United, an organization of
Caribbean, Latina, and African nannies, housekeepers, and elder caregivers in New York.
See Ai-jen’s amazing speech at our Gala Event on this link: http://tinyurl.com/nd9nrh4
A 10yr Anniversary Film was produced to be presented on the night and it was a huge success.
Thanks to all DWAG members who came to film meeting to give their testimonies and worked
hard in the production of this film!
Click here to see the film online: http://vimeo.com/80260359
DWAG SIPTU UPDATE
Domestic workers join forces with SIPTU to advance rights, respect and recognition
SIPTU and MRCI’s Domestic Workers Action Group have arrived at a landmark
agreement that will see Ireland’s largest trade union take a leadership role in
organizing and supporting domestic workers to achieve recognition, rights and
respect. On October 24th we had a photo shoot to officially launch this very
important partnership between DWAG and SIPTU. Click here to see the Article in
the Liberty Paper: http://www.siptu.ie/media/media_17754_en.pdf (page4)
Over the past year MRCI and SIPTU have examined innovative models for NGO
and trade union collaboration on organising migrant women employed in the
private home and have learnt from the experiences of trade unions in other
European countries as well as the global effort internationally to organize domestic workers. DWAG is receiving great
support from SIPTU and we are delighted to develop this relationship and work together to improve working conditions
for domestic workers in Ireland.
News Round Up - In Brief
Protections needed for victims of modern slavery (Forced Labour)
We were delighted this year to achieve campaign success in securing a law
to tackle modern day slavery. This means that slavery in all its forms can be
prosecuted in Ireland. Now we need to ensure that victims of this heinous
crime can be protected. We will be running a campaign next year to
highlight how victims of slavery are being left in hostels for long periods of
time, living in a terrible limbo, waiting to be recognised as a victim of
slavery by the state. We want to change this and ensure measures are in
place that victims receive the supports and security that they need to
recover from their traumatic experiences. We will keep you updated on this.
Protections for Domestic Workers in Diplomatic Households
Our campaign to achieve protections for domestic workers working in diplomatic
households is close to being achieved. The government are working out final
details on the measures they will introduce. We have been working hard to
highlight this issue in the media as sadly over the last few months we have
assisted another domestic worker to leave a diplomatic household where she
suffered severe exploitation. We will be in touch with you in the New Year to give
this campaign one final push to get it over the line. We believe that if these
measures are implemented the exploitation of domestic workers in diplomatic
households could be prevented and stopped for good.
Adelita and Hilda at Domestic Workers Rights Conference in EU Parliament Brussels
On November 13th Adelita Monteiro and Hilda Regaspi attended the Domestic
Workers Rights Conference in the EU Parliament in Brussels. Hilda did a great
presentation on the history of DWAG and the 10 years of action, campaigning and
achievements of the group in their struggle to improve rights and working conditions
for domestic workers in Ireland. Adelita talked about her own experience as an Au
pair worker and presented the findings of MRCI's research conducted in 2012 'Part of
the Family?' on the experiences of au pairs and trend towards au pairs being used as
'affordable childcare' without their rights as workers being recognised.
Au pair Campaign Update
Since July a number of Au pairs have been attending monthly meetings of the Au pairs Rights Association Ireland. The
Association has now a very active committee and a Facebook group with over 500 members. Many of those who come
to Ireland ostensibly to work as au pairs are in reality domestic workers who
possess legal entitlements of which they may not be aware. MRCI has been
working in conjunction with NERA and members of the Au pairs Association to
ensure that those domestic workers who have been falsely described as au
pairs may be identified, and that they are supported and facilitated in securing
access to labour complaints mechanisms and enforcement of their statutory
employment rights. Au pairs and domestic workers are looking forward to
Ireland ratifying the ILO in order to progress in the campaign for better
protections for au pairs and domestic Workers in Ireland.
Irish Times Article on Domestic Workers in Ireland: “The Help Irish Style”
There was a great article in the Irish Times by Patrick Freyne on November 16th,
looking at the situation of migrant domestic workers in Ireland, be they carers, au
pairs or Undocumented workers. Anele Jakiel, Adelita Monteiro and Jayson
Montenegro were interviewed and talked about their experiences on this Article.
Read it here http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/the-help-irish-style-1.1596373
Next DWAG Meeting: Sunday Jan 26th: 2-4pm Teachers Club, 36 Parnell Sq West.
Note: DWAG newsletter is only issued electronically since July - please email communications@mrci.ie with your email address.
Domestic Workers Action Group, c/o Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, 55 Parnell Square West, Dublin 1 DWAG Mobile: 085 710 8954