I want to speak as minority worker as I been there before.
MINORITY WOMEN AS DOMESTIC WORKERS
Presentation by M. Witbooi
Introduction: Domestic workers is rooted in the history of slavery. Yet it is work like any other work.
And are left to the minority workers.
Who we are: Domestic workers make a large part of the informal economic sector of the world. They
are the home care, worker, child care, cooks, security, looking after the elderly. Doing so they
contribute to the economy by allowing the employers to go out and build the economy. Yet they hardly
benefit for the role they play in the economy.
Lack of living wage: The lack of living wage makes it impossible to afford proper housing, health care,
or even decent schooling or afford a [...].
Some domestic workers live in the backyard of the employer's home, have no access to family or
friends.
Many domestic workers face struggle of another kind, phisical and sexual abuse.
Migrant workers and minority workers:These workers often lack the ability to fight against the employer
as they face or fear being sent back to their country and that they cannot afford as they left these
countries due to poverty.
They are treated with [disrespect] . Lack of social benefits, health care are denied to these workers.
Many countries refuse to apply decent working conditions or to apply labour laws to include the migrant
worker. "A migrant worker state at the ILO" many empoyers [underrate] us, they exploit us because
they know we are desparate - but we need to work we must put food on the table for our families.
Yes, we are treated as minorities, as we don't belong to that coutnry - we are and remain voiceless.
In S.A.: We have over a million [migrant] workers yet we are still treated as minorities and face
exploitation daily by employers. We have a democratic government and an open door for workers. But
we must also remember that they are also employers so we need to remember that at time who we are.
The importance of a domestic worker: They are vital and make needed workforce of many countries
yet they are still treated as workers with no voice, and are often denied training and access to future
schooling. We now need to change it and make minority right a reality.
We need a [...] convention.
We are aware, I hope so those present here, that after [...] - domestic work will not get recognition.
They say domestic work is decent work, I wonder what it was before.
So we are now say:
1.
We want social security/ social benefits;