The ratification of Convention 189 is an opportunity to raise awareness of the rights of domestic workers, and, to this end, NERA (the National Employment Rights Authority) has prepared a booklet on the employment rights of domestic workers in Ireland which it has launched today to coincide with ratification of the Convention. NERA has carried out a programme of inspections involving domestic workers, and continues to respond to any complaints it receives from domestic workers.
In 2007 a voluntary Code of Practice for Persons Employed in Other People's Homes was developed under the Industrial Relations Act 1990. It was drawn up by the Labour Relations Commission (LRC), in conjunction with employers' and employees' representatives, and was adopted by way of Statutory Instrument. The Code sets out certain employment rights and protections for persons employed in other people's homes and encourages good practice and compliance with the law in such employment situations. In any proceedings before a court, or a workplace relations dispute resolution body, the code of practice shall be admissible in evidence and any provision of the code which appears to the court, body or officer concerned to be relevant to any question arising in the proceedings shall be taken into account in determining that question.
Domestic work is a growing sector, in developing as well as in developed countries. ILO's recent estimates refer to a number of 52.6 million domestic workers worldwide in 2010, compared to 33.2 million in 1995. In the Irish context, there is considerable scope for job creation in the Personal Household Services (PHS) sector, and the demand for such services will increase as our population ages.