General Secretary of the International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF) Elizabeth Tang of Japan spoke highly about the experience at the recently concluded regional conference of domestic worker leaders in the Caribbean which was hosted in Jamaica.
Speaking at a closing session held on Tuesday 11th October 20, 2022, at a host venue- the Grand Bahia Principe hotel in St. Ann, she commented: “This is my first trip to the Caribbean and I have learnt so much from you and I want to thank you really because you are so committed that you have said many times over and over again that you will go back [to your respective countries] and organize; create domestic workers organisations [and] create domestic workers sections. I say thank you because when you grow, the IDWF grows because IDFW is what? IDWF is you, it’s domestic workers everywhere in the Caribbean …and just now you have said these beautiful things that will remain in my heart…”
Notably, a domestic worker is described a person who works in the homes of others for pay. Furthermore, Jamaica is one of the first countries of the region to have ratified the International Labour Organisation (ILO) C189 which covers various areas on decent work for domestic workers.
Tang referred to a remark from a participating domestic worker Nicole Williams of Jamaica who said “I now have a voice” coming out of the experience of the conference.
According to IDWF official Tang “just imagine if each and every one of the domestic workers in the region is saying this ‘Now I have a voice’ then we are really powerful, then we really have the power. So, the IDWF will be with you so this the beginning of the journey and we will continue to be with you and we will see how we grow and we will provide the necessary support…”
Tang explained that support includes helping to grow voice through other platforms.
Meanwhile, Chairperson of the Caribbean Domestic Workers Network and well as IDWF Executive Member, Shirley Pryce (a former domestic worker) who is also the President of the Jamaican Household Workers Union (JHWU) shared her thoughts on the need for regional movement and coming together while speaking at the opening session held on Friday 7th October at the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston.
She pointed out that conference was planned since 2019 but plans were thrown off due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges in the following years.
Commenting on the significance for a conference of that nature to be hosted, Pryce stated: “I know that we are fighting for the right reason [and that is] domestic workers’ rights and we are fighting for decent work because decent work is everybody’s business…it’s for me, it’s for you, it’s for all of us so we’re fighting for decent work.”
She added: “We know we have a lot of work but we’ll be collaborating together, working together, fighting together and winning together!”
In her presentation, she called for Caribbean togetherness on championing the cause for domestic workers.
“Today, I just want to say to us as Caribbean, we’re here to organize and reenergize because we have started our Caribbean Domestic Workers Network in 2013…but now we’re here to pick up ourselves and start all over again and we have the support of WEIGO and the IDWF.”
Pryce added: “Now we’re standing and we’re standing tall. We’re going to be showing up together we’re gonna stop whispering and start shouting for our rights so we just want us all to just rise up, stand up and to shake up…and this is what we’re doing now!…”
“Shake up and start a fresh! We can do it right?!” she asked for which she got the crowd response “Yes!”
“We can do it!” Pryce further admonished. Additionally, spoke about information sharing during the course of the conference saying “so we can learn from each other. We want to be strong like Latin America. We want to be strong like Africa!”
General Secretary of the St.Kitts-Nevis Trades and Labour Union Precious Mills attended the conference.
Other participating countries included Guyana, St.Lucia, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago.
Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada and Guyana are among countries that had ratified C189 by September 2022.
The five-day event was conducted from Friday 7th to Tuesday 11th October organised jointly by the IDWF and Women in Informal Employment Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) and was hosted by the JHWU.
The event was observed under the banner: ‘Caribbean Conference: Investing in Decent Work for Domestic Workers, Ratification and Implementation of C189 and C190’.
C190 addresses workplace violence and harassment.