NUDE: Protect Domestic workers

NUDE has been lobbying for several years for domestic workers to be recognised and protected under the law.

“The failure to recognise household work as “work” under existing labour legislation is a denial of the rights and respect that they deserve. It also works contrary to the Unremunerated Work Act which acknowledges that housework is work,” NUDE said yesterday in a statement for Labour Day.

NUDE said the vast majority of 9,678 domestics in TT were women who worked long hours and in most cases at the expense of their own families. “They cook, clean homes, wash, iron, fold and pack clothes, take good care of the employer’s children and their elderly families, they run errands, answer their telephones, they do an array of work to ensure the employer’s comfort.

NUDE said “Sleep In Domestics” in particular continue to work with no stipulated hours of work, were always on call had no rest periods and were seldom paid overtime although they worked more than 40 hours weekly. They are fired without notice and are unable to seek redress under the IRA Chapter 88:01 because they were excluded from the definition of “worker.”

NUDE said domestics were left out of the Occupational Health and Safety Act although they were exposed to disease from taking care of the sick members of their employers’ family, and have falls and other accidents.

It added that domestics use toxic disinfectants and other chemicals while performing some of their daily tasks.

Highlighting the exploitation of domestics, NUDE said when workers fall ill and submit a legal certificate and apply for benefits under the National Insurance (NIS) system they are fired “because in some cases their NIS contributions were never paid to the National Insurance Board.”

NUDE said in other cases where NIS is paid, the worker is deprived of the benefit, since a requirement of the NIS form is to know whether the domestic is still employed but the employer would “usually state no longer employed.”

NUDE said domestic/household workers in TT continue to be marginalised despite the call by the International Labour Organisation for decent work and an end to sweat shops.It said decent work meant ensuring domestics and other low income workers were allowed to earn a living with adequate terms and conditions and right to freely join and associate with a trade union of their choice. NUDE said decent work would encompass a Minimum Wages Order for all low income workers who are vulnerable and powerless, and ensuring workers received overtime, sick leave, and vacation.