Written by Fairuz Mullagee
The struggle for domestic work to be recognised as ‘real work’ has been a long one. Many workers, predominantly women, have to provide care (mostly unpaid), in their own households, on top of their paid-work hours. Convention 189 Concerning Decent Work for Domestic Workers was adopted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in June 2011. Whatever shortcomings the Convention may have, it marked a turning point. It formally placed domestic work within the realm of ’employment’ for purposes of labour law and made it part of the ILO’s ‘decent work’ agenda. This agenda is concerned not simply with improving working conditions but sets out ‘to promote opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work, in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity’. Yet, despite the enormous contribution of domestic workers to the welfare of millions of households, globally domestic work remains undervalued and poorly regulated.
In South Africa, domestic workers account for 5.1% of the total workforce – 95.7% are women. They are overwhelmingly Black women from disadvantaged backgrounds typically working for mostly, but not exclusively, white employers in middle-class and upper-class homes. The advent of democracy brought significant legislative changes. By 2002 Domestic workers were included in the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, Sectoral Determination 7 for domestic workers, and the Unemployed Insurance Act. In spite of the broad legal coverage, domestic workers remain underpaid, and undervalued.
Value of domestic work
According to the ILO Resolution concerning decent work and the care economy (June 2024), ‘care is central to human, social, are now economic and environmental well-being, and sustainable development. Care work, paid and unpaid, is essential to all other work’. The ILO argues that care responsibilities are the main reason for women not working outside the home. Domestic workers enable other women – middle class women – to work outside the home and they enhance the quality of life for the household(s) they serve: they ease the time and other pressures for members of the household.
Domestic worker organizations are changing the narrative that domestic work is unskilled and of no economic value, and therefore that a domestic worker can be easily replaced. They are rewriting the story about their work and their role in society. This is highlighted in quotes from domestic workers from the WIEGO Law and Informality Insights No. 9. From South Africa: “SADSAWU when they overnight[ed] at the parliament in Cape Town and chained themselves to the gate. [Then] we demonstrated in front of the office of the Ministry of Labour with mops, brooms, cleaning material and different equipment to submit our petition to the Minister.” From Togo: “We told them that the Minister and even the President cannot go to work if they don’t have a domestic worker.” From Zambia: “Pause for a moment, think of a day in a home without a domestic worker, a week, a month. What will happen? Domestic workers contribute a lot to the economy and world over and are a key pillar of the care economy.” From Nigeria: “We are the foundation of the national economy … would you have been here without the support of domestic workers to look after your homes in your absence?” From Tanzania: “Domestic workers are workers like any other workers … We are the managers who manage all the activities when they are at their workplace, nurses who take care of the sick and the elderly, the chefs who cook their food for the whole family and visitors, gardeners who make the environment look clean and take care of the livestock such as cows, goats and poultry farms.”
Second, paid domestic work makes a significant contribution to lowering the poverty and unemployment rates in South Africa. Many women who may struggle to find formal employment due to educational barriers or lack of skills can secure jobs as domestic workers, thus reducing overall unemployment levels. While wages may vary, their earnings contribute to supporting themselves and their families.
Third, The minimum wage of R27,58 an hour (R220.64 per day; R1,103.20 per week; R4,412.80 per month) is not a decent wage. It is not enough to cover daily living expenses for one person, let alone a family and often extended family. While wages are not the only indicator of decent work, it is a key measure. South African domestic workers are pleased with the idea of a wage standard, but are also acutely aware that this very minimum wage, set by the Government, is what keeps them trapped in a cycle of poverty. The problem with the single minimum wage is that it assumes that all domestic work is of the same value. The minimum wage of domestic workers bears no relationship to the social value of their work. Masterson and others have argued that employers of domestic workers mostly do not see themselves as employers. Domestic workers are viewed as ‘house help’ or ‘part of the family’ in the informalised workplace where there is scant recognition of the labour laws.
Fourth, Section 23 of the Constitution enshrines the right of all workers, including domestic workers to fair labour practices and the right to collective bargaining. The isolation of domestic workers within the privacy of the employers’ home has impacted tremendously on their ability to exercise their constitutional rights to organise. Section 17 (Restricted rights in the domestic sector) of the Labour Relations Act, adds to the difficulty of organising by restricting access to the worksite which is a private home.
Realising decent work for domestic workers needs everyone on board
Realising decent work for domestic workers will require much organisation on the part of domestic workers, their employers and the state. The case of Zimbabwe, spearheaded by the Zimbabwe Domestic and Allied Workers Union (ZDAWU) showed that the government’s involvement ensures that negotiations are guided by the legal frameworks for fair labour practices. A collective bargaining framework is essential for achieving South Africa’s Decent Work Country Programme which supports the ILO’s decent work agenda.
Domestic workers will need to strengthen their organisations as they lobby for improved wages and working conditions. Employers need to be made aware of their role in the employment relationship and the obligations associated with that role. Government has an important role to play through the Department of Employment and Labour, as a process facilitator in the formation of a collective bargaining mechanism. Similarly, the Services Sector Education Authority should contribute, by making funds available through their skills development programme, to improving the skills of domestic workers and employers to effectively negotiate.
In conclusion, while recognition of the value of domestic work as ‘real work’ is a long way off, the wheels of change have been set in motion. Building from the bottom up, and increasing the visibility of domestic workers in the world of work is set to change existing power relations with significant contribution to the decent work agenda. It will also go a long way in recognising the value of care work in enabling domestic employers to work outside their household.
