53 to 100 million Pinoy Domestic workers to give protection by ILO-Trillanes

SENATE OFFICE, Manila, July 9, 2011-Senator Antonio “Sonny” F. Trillanes IV said that there are about 53 to 100 million Pinoy workers abroad who will be given protection as agreed in the recent ILO Convention 189 where he has filed resolution commending the ILO Convention 189, or the Decent Work for Domestic Workers Convention.

“It was a major victory for the millions of Filipino and foreign domestic workers who take on this job abroad,” Trillanes said.

Trillanes  lauded the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for spearheading an initiative that led to the adoption by the International Labor Organization (ILO) of the landmark treaty giving protection to millions of domestic workers across the world and also congratulated DOLE Secretary Rosalinda D. Baldoz and DOLE Undersecretary Hans Leo G. Cacdac, the First Chairman of the Committee on Domestic Workers of ILO, for leading the effort that has resulted to the landmark convention.

He said that the landmark treaty recognizes domestic work as work and not a form of slavery and requires member-countries of the ILO to take steps to protect domestic workers and end their abuses, explaining that the new Convention will provide protection and labor standards to Filipino domestic workers worldwide as well as the world’s domestic workers.

“The convention 189 ensures that our domestic workers will surely enjoy freedom of association and can exercise their right to collective bargaining where this mandates governments to identify and to eliminate any legislative or administrative restrictions or other obstacles to the rights of domestic workers,” Trillanes said.

Last June 16 2011, the Convention was approved during the 100th International Labor Conference of the Geneva-based organization. (Jason de Asis)