Rappresentanza Permanente d’Italia
Ginevra
ILO-OHCHR Side-event on decent work
for migrant domestic workers
th
Geneva, 4 September 2014, 13.30-15.00, Palais Wilson, Room 1-016
Madam Chairperson, it is indeed a privilege for me to address this side event
and be able to share with you Italy’s experience in the protection of the rights of
migrant domestic workers.
Madam Moderator, indeed Italy has a long standing tradition of attention to
this category of workers, being one of the three largest employers of domestic
workers in Europe. Therefore, Italy was the first destination Country to ratify the
landmark ILO Convention on Domestic Workers. We felt it was important to
manifest our commitment to ensuring decent labour conditions for this category of
workers. Our prompt ratification of the Convention demonstrates our engagement in
the fight against the exploitation, discrimination and unfair treatment to which
domestic workers have so long been subjected.
The Convention addresses the lack of decent jobs for one of the most
vulnerable groups of workers by affirming the principle that domestic employees are
indeed workers and thus entitled to the same rights as any other category of workers,
a principle that is already affirmed in our own Civil Code. Their work, which is so
essential to our society, should be protected and have all the features associated with
the “decent work” idea. The basic rights enshrined in Convention 189 are already
defined in our Civil Code: namely, the obligation to pay domestic workers an
adequate salary (the simple provision of housing and food is insufficient), to pay their
social security benefits, to grant holidays and weekly time off, and the right of a
worker to terminate a work contract.
Our decision to ratify the Convention has had many positive effects on our
society.
1) It was beneficial not only to this category of workers but also to migrants. In
2013, 51.4% of domestic workers in Italy were migrants from outside the European
Union. I am of course referring to regular workers, registered in the social security
lists. Interestingly enough, this percentage is decreasing in comparison to 2011
(54.8%) and 2012 (53%). It is a tangible sign that more Italians – maybe due to the
crisis – are again available to undertake a type of job that they were less willing to
perform in the past.
More than 60% of domestic workers come from 5 main countries of origin:
Ukraine (22.7%), the Philippines (14.8%), Moldova (10.8%), Peru (6.8%), and Sri
Lanka (5.6%). These statistics do not include domestic workers from other European
Union Countries, such as Romania and Poland.
2) Ratification was also important from a gender perspective. Women account
for 78.3% of the total number of domestic workers in Italy.
3) An added value of our national experience is collective bargaining. Freedom
of association is essential to this category of workers, who are isolated in their
workplaces and thus even more vulnerable. Collective bargaining is a very effective
instrument that integrates national legislation and further expands the labour rights of
domestic workers. The latest national collective bargaining agreement entered into
force in July 2013 and fully incorporates the provisions of Convention 189.
One limitation to collective bargaining in this sector is that the employers are
households that are themselves mostly dependent on salaries. Households often have
constraints on their capacity to spend. One of the issues that emerged from the last
collective bargaining process was the fact there are many different types of domestic
workers performing sometimes very different functions, ranging from cleaning to
babysitting, to care for the elderly or for persons with disabilities. There is thus a
need to diversify competences, and thus compensation, as well as to identify the
specific training that each competence requires.
To conclude, Italian society has changed profoundly in the past two decades.
Today migrants represent 8% of our population. Part of the fundamental integration
process that our society needs to undertake in order to remain cohesive is to dispel the
negative assumptions too often made about migration. Domestic workers have
become a pillar of our society and provide an invaluable contribution to the daily life
of many Italian households. The ratification of this Convention reaffirms our
commitment not only to principles but also to making integration a reality in our
Country. Italy’s commitment to Convention 189 is one of the many steps we have
taken on the path toward effective integration policies.