Civil Society activists are advocating an ammendment to a bill seeking the documentation and protection of Domestic Workers in Nigeria currently before the National assembly to include Minimum Wage benefits, and Unionisation of Domestic workers.
They made the recommendations in Abuja during a public hearing on the bill, sponsored by Senator representing Jigawa North West federal constituency, Babangida Hussaini.
Titled: “A Bill for an Act to Provide for the Documentation and Protection of Domestic Workers and the Employers and for Other Matters Connected Therewith, 2024, the bill seeks to provide legal framework to improve the working conditions of domestic workers and stipulates appropriate sanctions for negative impacts that may arise from domestic services.
This public hearing by the Senate committee on Employment, Labour and Productivity is to deliberate on the content of the bill such as hours of work, remuneration, as well as age limit for domestic workers.
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Among those who made presentations is CEEHOPE whose Executive Director, Betty Abbah and other rights activists made a case for the country’s domestication of the International Labour Organisation (ILO)’s Convention 189 of 2011 which spells out the Rights of Domestic Workers.
Abbah particularly emphasised the need for the Unionisation of Domestic Workers as a way of facilitating full realisation of their rights and benefits.
Across the globe, there are over 53 million estimated Domestic workers according to ILO statistics.
In Nigeria, these workers are hidden and unregistered and often excluded from the nations Labour and Social protection.
(Editor : Anoyoyo Ogiagboviogie)
