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Wednesday, October 4, 2017
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BATAS Kasambahay (Republic Act 10361) and the Convention on Domestic Workers (International Labor Organization Convention 189) are positive policies for household helpers who are often looked down on. Both came into effect in 2013 yet.
These legal instruments embody, define and guarantee the rights of household helpers and set the standards that should guide society in general in treating these workers and addressing their concerns.
Our country is benefiting from Convention 189; we have many kababayans who, for lack of employment opportunities in the country, work as domestic workers abroad. The International Labor Organization estimates at least 53 million domestic workers worldwide, 83 percent of whom are women and about 10.5 million children. Certainly, some of these are Filipinos breaking their backs in foreign lands to feed their impoverished families back home. In our country, meanwhile, there are an estimated 1.9 million kasambahay. This sector of our labor force is oftentimes overworked but underpaid, delivering round the clock service at every beck and call of their employers.
Convention 189 provides, among others, the following: promotion and protection of the human rights of all domestic workers; respect and realization of fundamental principles and rights at work for domestic workers, namely: freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; and elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labor, child labor and discrimination; protection against all forms of abuse, harassment and violence; fair terms of employment; and decent working conditions
Batas Kasambahay, for its part, states the following, among others: upholding of the rights and dignity of household workers; use of a formal contract to govern employer-employee relationship; realistic minimum wage that is regularly adjusted in accordance with rising cost of living; and provision of other benefits such as membership in SSS, PhilHealth and PAG-IBIG.
Do you know that this landmark piece of legislation took Congress 15 years to enact into law? Four year since it took effect, are its Implementing Rules and Regulations properly enforced?
With the Batas Kasambahay and Convention 189, the long-suffering sector of the country’s labor force – the local domestic workers – finally enjoy social and legal protection. We just have to constantly make sure these policies are effectively implemented.
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