With no other option to support her family in her native Sri Lanka, Nalani Samarasinghe, 41, has moved to Qatar three times for jobs ranging from 11 months to three years. At her last job as a domestic worker, she was expected to work between 5 a.m. and 1 a.m. daily...
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South Africa Domestic Workers Strategize with U.S. Counterparts
Clapping and singing “women must be praised,” a traditional South African protest song from the years of apartheid oppression, eight domestic workers from South Africa gathered with their American sisters and brothers from the United Domestic Workers of America...
Nicaragua the Third Nation to Adopt Domestic Work Standard
Nicaragua this week became the third country to ratify the International Labor Organization (ILO) convention on domestic workers. An ILO “convention” sets international labor standards, and the “Decent Work for Domestic Workers” convention addresses issues such as...
Victory for Domestic Workers as Philippines Ratifies C189
In a victory for domestic workers in the Philippines and around the world who are trying to secure decent wages, benefits and recognition, the Philippines is the second country to ratify International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 189, Decent Work for Domestic...
New Laws Would Grant Social Protections to 300,000 Dominican Domestic Workers
Two groundbreaking pieces of legislation are poised to bring 300,000 domestic workers in the Dominican Republic into the national social security system, providing them for the first time with a minimum wage, health care, pension, and other social protections to which...
International Domestic Workers Day
A year after the adoption of International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 189, Decent Work for Domestic Workers, domestic workers declared June 16 International Domestic Workers Day. Domestic workers worldwide celebrated this historic victory. The Solidarity...
Burmese Migrant Workers Double Their Wages after Strike
As workers around the world celebrated International Labor Day at the beginning of May, more than 500 migrant workers on the Thai-Burmese border took collective action to demand that their employer improve wages and working conditions in a garment factory where they...
Organizing Workers in the Informal Economy: A Global Challenge and Imperative
The issues, needs, and experiences of informal workers were the focus of a two-day conference held in Cape Town, South Africa, and organized by the Solidarity Center. With the support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the December 2–3 meeting...
MAY DAY 2023: STANDING UP FOR WORKER RIGHTS ACROSS THE GLOBE
New Radio Show in Jordan Showcases Worker Issues
Callers to a recent radio show about taxi workers in Jordan had many questions, including: Why are taxi drivers classified as independent contractors rather than as employees who are eligible for better wages and benefits? Why do Jordan’s laws prohibit taxi drivers...
Video: Ending Gender Violence at Work with Collective Action
Seeking a job to support her family but lacking opportunity in her native Bangladesh, Shahida became a domestic worker far from her home. Beyond duties in her employer's home, she was forced to work at the houses of several of his relatives, giving her little time to...
Reaching Kenya Communities on Realities of Migrating for Jobs
In Kenya, where 2.5 million people toil in irregular, precarious jobs—compared with 900,000 in the formal sector—many workers are unable to support their families and so become targets for the labor brokers who haunt villages and cities and convince them to get jobs...
Labor Migration Conference: ‘Our Voices Will Be Strong’
“We want to make our voices heard and strong in Africa and globally. Our voices will be strong,” Joel Odigie told the more than 130 union leaders, migrant worker rights advocates and top international human rights officials in the closing session of the Solidarity...
‘Create Decent Work at Home so Labor Migration Is a Choice’
The respect and dignity of labor migrants is under increasing threat, says Kassahun Follo, first vice president, International Trade Union Confederation-Africa, as migrant workers are demonized and denied basic rights, actions driven by exploitation, racism and...
Make Every Job a Good Job
Around the world, workers, their unions and other associations are striving to promote the rights of working people at their jobs and in their everyday lives. While every job has value, not all jobs are “good jobs.” Millions of jobs around the world do not offer the...
Labor Migration: A Solidarity Center Conference
In Malaysia, up to 40 percent of workers are migrants from other countries. Over in Bangladesh, more than 600,000 workers migrate each year for jobs, and at least 5 million Bangladeshis currently work in other countries. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries on...
ILO Report: Trafficking and Forced Labor Are Unacceptable
Global demand for the services of domestic workers, including household workers, caregivers and cooks, has been steadily rising in recent years. Yet as the International Labor Organization (ILO) shows in a new report on migrants from South Asia, domestic workers,...
Statement: International Day of Care and Support
The Solidarity Center issued the following statement in celebration of International Day of Care and Support: Today, on the International Day of Care and Support, we honor and celebrate the millions of workers who provide essential care services, from domestic work to...
CENTRAL ASIA: HIGH-LEVEL EVENT TO COMBAT FORCED LABOR
To focus attention on protecting workers from Central Asian countries who are migrating abroad to earn their livelihoods, the Solidarity Center was part of a broad coalition that organized a high-level conference in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to coincide with UN World Day...