Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, mrci, promoting empowerment and inclusion of migrant workers in ireland

Domestic Workers

Domestic Workers Action Group fighting for the Rights, Dignity and Recognition of Workers employed in the private home.

DWAG was established by MRCI in 2004, to respond to the exploitation and unfair treatment that many domestic workers experience in Ireland. These problems include:

pay below the legal minimum hourly rate of pay in Ireland for all the hours worked
excessive working hours, sometimes more than 80 hours per week
unfair and illegal deductions being taken from workers pay
being disrespected, threatened and treated like slaves by their employers
being intimidated and fearing the consequences from their employer if they complain.

DOMESTIC WORKERS ACTION WEEK MAY 1-7, 2012

Taking Action for Rights , Dignity and Recognition for Domestic Workers!

DWAG is calling for improved working conditions to protect vulnerable domestic workers employed in private homes in Ireland. We are urging the government to take action and recognise the importance of domestic work in society.

What We Want:

Richard Bruton, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to commit to ratifying the ILO convention no.189 on decent work for domestic workers in 2012.
The Department of Foreign Affairs to establish mechanisms to protect the rights of domestic workers employed by diplomats.
Mininster of Justice, Alan Shatter to criminalise Forced Labour in Ireland.

'The Soul Workers Session' @ the Sugar Club...a unique night of music with migrant domestic workers, activists and musicians featuring Spoken Word, Roots n Reggae, Soul, American Folk & Hip Hop. Join us and take a stand against inequality and discrimination, and celebrate music. The Soul Workers Session has it all. Special Spoken Word performance by D.W.A.G.

About the Project:

The musical collaboration was a ten week project using music for political awareness raising and as a way to share the experiences of migrant women living and working in private homes in Ireland. Using music we share with you experiences of discrimination, exploitation and celebration.

Other Important dates to remember:

May 1 - May Day Rally, Dublin Council of Trade Unions, 6.30pm Liberty Hall, Dublin 1.

May 1 to 7 - 'Opening Doors' Photography Exhibition, Exchange Gallery, 2 Upper Exchange Street, Temple Bar. Open daily from 10am to 6pm. Free admission.

Follow Link to our Facebook Events Page

Follow Link to the 12 by 12 Campaign

International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention on Decent Work for Domestic Workers 2011

Last month, MRCI's Domestic Workers Action Group (DWAG) joined forces with organisations in Ireland and around the world in a global call for action to mobilise support for an ILO Convention for Decent Work and Rights for Domestic Workers. The Convention aims to improve conditions for the millions of women and girls employed in this sector, which has high levels of exploitation.

NEWS: International Labour Standards for Domestic Workers Adopted!
At the 100th annual Conference of the International Labour Organization on Thursday 16 June, conference delegates adopted a historic set of international standards aimed at improving the working conditions of tens of millions of domestic workers worldwide. The government, worker and employer delegates adopted the Convention on Domestic Workers (2011) by a vote of 396 to 16, with 63 abstentions and the accompanying Recommendation by a vote of 434 to 8, with 42 abstentions.
Read more about the ILO Convention on Domestic Workers.

DWAG, together with Irish Congress of Trade Unions and National Women's Council of Ireland, have called on the Irish Government to commit to ratifying the Convention, which will recognise domestic workers as workers, and afford them the neccessary employment protections.

Campaign Materials:
Watch DWAG members talk about the campaign on DCTV
Download sample letter to Minister for Labour Affairs

For more information:
download Global Call to Action - ILO Convention on Domestic Work
visit www.domesticworkersrights.org

MRCI celebrated the 100th International Women's Day with:
Launch of Campaign for ILO Convention on Domestic Work - 8 March 2011

DWAG Takes Action Against Diplomatic Immunity

DWAG has been actively campaigning for the Government to establish a clear, transparent visa regime for domestic workers employed by diplomats. On Sunday, 28 November members of DWAG gathered in front of the Philippines Embassy to protest against the embassy’s decision not to attend an employment complaint hearing brought by a former employee at the Labour Relations Commission. The employment complaints were brought to the LRC by a Filipina, who was employed by the embassy as a domestic worker between July and December 2009. She claims that her employment rights were violated and, assisted by the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, lodged formal complaints against the embassy under four different acts. See Irish Times coverage of the protest: Embassy's boycott of hearing criticised.

Last year DWAG took to the streets to protest against the decision of the South African Ambassodor to use dimplomatic immunity in an employment case taken by Ukrainian domestic worker, Valentyna Khristonsen. DWAG members and allies protested outside the South African Embassy in Dublin on Wednesday, November 4, to demand ‘Justice for Valentyna' and to demand that she is given her right to due process and to have her complaint heard in court. At the court hearing in the Labour Relations Commission (LRC), South African Ambassodor, Priscilla Jana, used her privelleged dimplomatic status to avoid having Valentyna's employment complaint heard. Because of this, the Rights Commissioner decided he did not have jurisdiction to hear the complaint.

MRCI is aware of several other cases involving allegations of abuse of domestic workers by foreign diplomats. MRCI is calling on Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheal Martin TD, to establish a clear, transparent visa regime for domestic employees of diplomats. This must include employment contracts that comply with Irish labour laws

Labour Inspections in the Private Homes

DWAG has been advocating for the National Employment Rights Authority (NERA) to begin inspecting employers in the domestic sector to better ensure that the rights of domestic workers who live and work in other people's homes are protected and enforced. Last December NERA announced it was to begin a targeted campaign of inspections of private homes and monitor working conditions of domestic workers. MRCI has welcomed this decision, which gives formal recognition to the fact that the private home can also be a workplace, and that domestic workers need the full protection of the law and to have their rights monitored and enforced. For more contact NERA. See press release.

Hidden Voices Film Project (2010)

‘Hidden Voices: Stories from behind closed doors' is a series of short documentaries produced by members of DWAG, facilitated by Still Film Productions. These are powerful testimonies from empowered women fighting for the rights and recognition of domestic workers. If you would like to buy the DVD please contact DWAG on 085 710 8954. Price: €5.

To see more of the 6 Hidden Voices films go to MRCI's Youtube channel and select the films from the panel to the right.

DWAG Events

Domestic Workers Action Week, April 26 - May 1 2010
The first Domestic Workers' Action Week received unprecedented support and media attention. We successfully targeted all the main media outlets including features on RTE TV News, the Irish Times and RTE radio's Pat Kenny Show (see links to press coverage below). DWAG activists spoke publically and passionately about the injustices faced by many migrant domestic workers in Ireland, highlighting gaps in legislation that enable workers to be exploited, while also urging the government to establish better protections to regulate and protect workers in private homes across the country. The action week created public awareness about the issues, and we were successful in building allies with politicians and trade unionists, necessary to pursue our goals. From participation in the May Day Rally, to talks in Trinity College, to media interviews, to the film launch, DWAG used the action week to generate public awareness about the issues and the group's calls for action.

Opening Doors: Migrant Domestic Workers Speak Through Art (2007)

Opening Doors is a photographic collaboration between members of the Domestic Workers Action Group and artist Susan Gogan. Members directed and staged photographic representations of their work showing the value of domestic work and work in the care sector. Blurred Boundaries is a creative textile and multimedia installation created by 45 member of the Domestic Workers Action Group.

Go to the Opening Doors website to view the photographs, and click on the different panels of the Blurred Boundaries quilt to hear audio testimonies from DWAG members (click on 'blurred boundaries' link along the bottom navigation).