MANILA - Rights advocates, trade unions and other local and migrant workers’ stakeholders have come together to arrive at a common agenda to recognize domestic work as decent work here and abroad.

According to Julius Cainglet, chairperson of the Federation of Free Workers (FFW), the workers' consultation was done to create a new international convention for domestic workers that respects the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) existing fundamental principles and rights at work.
 
“This is part of a large endeavor under the International Labour Organization (ILO),” Cainglet said.

The ILO said that while domestic work is an important job to millions of individuals, it is often undervalued, poorly regulated and with many domestic workers underpaid, overworked and unprotected.

In 2007, the ILO Governing Body expressed its support for a standard on decent wok for domestic workers. It has placed decent work for domestic workers on the agenda of the 2010 International Labour Conference.

“Nag release sila ng questionnaire to all member-states ng ILO, and basically the content of the questionnaire ay yung possible future content nung international convention na bago,” Cainglet explained.

Tripartite consultations

Cainglet said that since the Philippines is an ILO member and a signatory to Convention 144 on Tripartite Consultation, it is obligated to answer the questionnaire and seek the opinion of the workers and employers.

“What we’re doing right now is part of the consultation process to answer the questionnaire. It’s the culmination of several consultations already been done. Mayroong national na multisectoral consultation last May, and after that, nagkaroon ng provincial consultations: one in Visayas, one in Mindanao and one in Luzon,” he said.

He said major trade unions and groups took part in the consultation like FFW, Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL), Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), Migrant Forum in Asia, the Asian Migrant Domestic Workers Alliance, the Visayan Forum, and Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK).

“What will happen is yung results naman dito iba-validate namin ulit come next week. We will go to Cebu and we will go to Davao and we will validate it. We will ask our members there so as to know what they think about the answers given to the questions,” he said.

Domestic workers excluded

Cainglet said that many of the conventions and laws on workers “exclude domestic workers.”

“So this is one of the things that we want to happen, to make domestic workers feel that they are also workers and that whatever their entitlements are --factory workers, be it in small manufacturing firms, or in the services sector--lahat ng rights and privileges enjoyed by other types of workers should be enjoyed by domestic workers including the right to organize, to bargain collectively with their employers and for their voices to be heard,” he said.

Among the discussions tackled by workers were the need for a new convention, with recommendations plus the principles behind it.
 
"At least sa workers' side when we did the consultations, one of the major decisions was to come up with a convention and accompanying recommendations," he said.

A research conducted by the Human Rights Watch and the Anti-Slavery International on domestic work in 20 countries "confirms that domestic workers are among the most exploited and abused workers in the world."

Domestic workers, the groups claimed, often experience working conditions that are below international standard. This includes irregular pay and long hours. There are also many cases of physical, psychological, sexual abuse, food deprivation and isolation.

It added that risk of abuse is high among child domestic workers as well as migrant women and girls.

RP has no moral high ground

"Ang tinging namin, for the government to demand protection for our migrant workers abroad or for it to have a moral high ground to do that, dapat locally, ang mga domestic workers dito ay nabibigyan din ng what is due them. Dahil kung anong ginagawa niya sa sariling bakuran niya, para sa mga domestic workers niya locally, dapat ganun din ang i-aspire niya, i-advocate niya for our workers who get to work abroad," Cainglet said.

He lamented that the Philippines do not have enough laws to safeguard and protect its domestic workers.

"We do not yet have enough laws kasi nga yung Kasambahay Bill, 10 taon na siyang natutulog sa Kongreso wala pa rin nangyayari. Magiging tagumpay na kung ang Kasambahay Bill o yung domestic workers bill ay maaprubahan dito kasi mas lalong mayroon tayo ng bala sa ibang bansa kapag we are trying to promote and protect the rights of domestic workers," he explained.

Specifically, the workers touched on the issues of minimum age for domestic workers, the conditions of work and protection, accountability of employers and recruitment agencies, and the issue of child workers.

“The time for us to deal with government is when we have the Working World Trialogs on Aug 11. Workers, as represented by unions, will present their side. Employers will also present their side and then government will also give its side. At the end of the month, that’s when the Philippines finalizes its reply to the questionnaire and eventually submits it to the ILO,” Cainglet said.

'Dream come true'

Ma. Cecilia Flores-Oebanda, president of the Visayan Forum Foundation, Inc., said the workers’ consultation and the upcoming tripartite discussion is just a “dream come true” for them.

“Para sa amin, napakalaking bagay na mapagusapan. Sa ngayon ine-elevate mo yung issue ng domestic worker na kung dati, hindi napagusapan, sa ngayon napaguusapan na,” Oebanda said.

Oebanda said “the only way for us, civil society, for our voice na madala doon sa discussions sa ILO is through the tripartite body. That's why were partnering with trade unions, groups to make sure na yung inputs namin lalo na yung inputs ng mga domestic worker ay madadala doon sa Geneva”.