Belgium ratifies ILO Convention 189 on Decent work for Domestic Workers

Another step forward! The convention on decent work for domestic workers has been ratified by Belgium during the International Labour Conference in Geneva! In the presence of Sister Jeanne Devos from NDWM, Luk Cortebeeck (President of WSM), Stalpaert Pia from ACV-CSC Voeding & Diensten (Food & Services) and Kris Peeters, the ILO Convention detailing basic rights for domestic workers was finally ratified by our country.

It was a lengthy process. In 2008, the ILO Board of Directors decided to develop new regulations for domestic workers, seeing that this was the most invisible group in the workplace. In 2010 and 2011, for two years, unions, employers and governments have negotiated this new regulation. Pia Stalpaert, president of ACV-CSC Food and Services, and Jeanne Devos, founder of the National Domestic Workers Movement in India, a WSM partner, participated in the negotiations.
After drafting the Convention, the work at national level began, because the ILO conventions need to be ratified. At this level as well, the ACV-CSC, the ACV-CSC Food and Services and World Solidarity played a key role. For almost 4 years, the coalition has put pressure on the different Belgian policy levels so that the agreement would be ratified. Their work has finally paid off: earlier this year, all parliaments gave their approval after the ratification, the Belgian government now has a year to adapt the national regulations.