Guyana is the first Caribbean country to have ratified the landmark treaty for domestic workers which came into effect last Thursday. Labour Minister Dr Nanda Gopaul during an exclusive interview with Guyana Times International indicated that Guyana has signed on to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 189, landmark treaty for domestic workers.
Number one
Guyana has ranked number one among its Caribbean neighbours to have signed on to the treaty which extends basic labour rights to domestic workers around the globe.
Currently, there are at least 53 million children worldwide, not including child domestic workers, and this number is increasing steadily in developed and developing countries, 83 per cent of which are women.
Dr Gopaul reiterated that the number adds to an estimated 10.5 million children worldwide, most of them under age, working as domestic workers in people’s homes.
The new convention became binding international law as of September 5. It needed ratification by two ILO member states. This, according to the minister, will set the stage for better workplace benefits which would normally be guided by the lawful workplace stipulations.
The minister said only recently, a team of experts were in Guyana to assist in different areas like being able to prepare regulations for the mining sector as is necessary under the occupational and safety health regulations.
Domestic workers comprise a significant part of the global workforce in informal employment and are among the most vulnerable groups of workers, the ILO has said.
They work for private households, often without clear terms of employment, unregistered in any book, and excluded from the scope of labour legislation.
The ILO said deplorable working conditions, labour exploitation, and abuses of human rights are major problems facing domestic workers.
Equality
To this end, the organisation undertakes to protect the rights of domestic workers, promote equality of opportunity and treatment, and improve working and living conditions.
Its global strategy consists of strengthening national capacities and institutions, including policy and legislative reforms; promoting the ratification and implementation of the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (Number 189) and Recommendation (Number 201); facilitating the organisation of domestic workers and their employers; awareness-raising and advocacy; and development of knowledge-base and policy tools.
