A large part of the people that Cáritas accompanies are looking for work as domestic workers, and a large number of the offers that arrive are to work in this sector. Despite the important advances registered in the last year, domestic workers continue to lack the social recognition they deserve, while the special regime of which they are part is profoundly unfair.
On the occasion of the celebration this Thursday of the International Day of Domestic Workers, Cáritas claims that the necessary advances be produced for a true equalization of rights -especially of those who work internally-, as well as the social recognition of this work that It is essential for the sustainability of life.
“This lack of equalization with the rest of the workers frequently places domestic workers in situations of job insecurity and lack of social protection,” he explains. Tamar Arranztechnician from the Solidarity Economy team of Cáritas Española.
Although the ratification of ILO Convention 189 and subsequent approval of Royal Decree-Law 16/2022 -which gives rise to modifications of different regulations related to domestic work- have meant an important advance in the recognition of rights -such as the access to protection against unemployment – has left out other demands.
Far from true equality
“We are still far from a true equalization of rights, such as the integration of gaps in contributions, the professional differentiation between personal and home care, or everything related to the particular conditions that internal work entails,” he stresses.
This lack of definition of the particular working conditions of internal domestic workers means that many of them face situations of special lack of protection and vulnerability. On many occasions, labor rights are violated, due to being subjected to long hours, including night shifts, with hardly any rest, with presence times that require availability and, in many cases, without distinction between domestic and care work, not counting these with the corresponding remuneration, given the specialization they require. “All of this, together with the fact that the majority of women who work as inmates are migrants and many of them without documentation, makes it a sector that is especially vulnerable to abuse,” he stresses.
According to the EPA survey for the fourth quarter of 2022, there were 543,900 people working in home employment. However, in the Social Security registry in February of this year there were 376,151 people registered in the domestic servants regime.
“This indicates -assures Tamar Arranz- that a good part of the workers carry out their work without the rights and protection that they should have. For this reason, from Cáritas we will continue working together with the sector so that the necessary advances are produced that allow domestic workers to become workers with full rights and have decent working conditions ”.
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