Domestic workers

Domestic workers are another “at risk” group. They are particularly vulnerable since their immigration status and housing are dependent on their employer, in whose home they work, hidden from sight. In 2011, unions were shocked by the coalition government’s decision to join a tiny minority of countries (Panama, El Salvador, Thailand, Singapore, the Czech Republic, Sudan and Malaysia) in abstaining from voting for a new convention aimed at setting basic standards of work for domestic workers, the Decent Work for Domestic Workers Convention. Despite this opposition, the Convention is to come into effect in 2013.