Sri Lanka has, for many years, been skirting around the formalisation of domestic work and recognising the contribution of domestic workers to the labour force. There has been little progress made on creating a similar policy framework and protections for those employed as domestic workers on our own soil. Internationally, Domestic Work is addressed by the International Labour Organisation’s Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers. But C189 has seen little enthusiasm; adopted in 2011, it has so far been ratified only by 33 countries while Sri Lanka is among the many countries that are yet to ratify. Domestic work tends to be invisible, but is critical to the smooth functioning of households, especially dual income households where both the male and female heads pursue careers.

Source: The Nation July 31, 2021 18:33 UTC