"CEE-HOPE Pushes for Inclusion of Domestic Workers in Trade Unions"
Perpetua Onuegbu
ABUJA, JUNE 7, 2024 - CEE-HOPE, an NGO, has urged domestic workers to join mainstream trade unions to enhance their bargaining power and dignity of labor.
At a one-day seminar on the rights of domestic workers in Abuja, Executive Director and Founder of CEE-HOPE Nigeria, Betty Abah, highlighted the pathetic working conditions of domestic workers in Nigeria, citing cases of death and maiming in the line of duty.
Abah drew inspiration from countries like Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, UAE, and India, where domestic workers have formed vibrant unions, aware of their rights and protected from exploitation.
She appealed to organized labor to support the campaign for domestic workers' unionization and urged the government to provide backing.
Claus Konig, Regional Director for Rosa Luxemburg Foundation in West Africa, emphasized every worker's right to belong to a trade union, stressing the need to unionize domestic workers to defend their rights against violence and disrespect.
Konig called on the government to enact laws ensuring a minimum wage for domestic workers and effective prosecution of violence against them.
Hawa Mustapha, a staff member of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), commended CEE-HOPE for initiating the seminar and pledged organized labor's support. She encouraged domestic workers to value their dignity and change their public perception.
The seminar aimed to uphold domestic workers' human and labor rights, aligning with the International Labour Organisation Convention 189 of 2011.
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