Brazil Grants Maids, Domestic Workers Equal Labour Rights
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The Brazilian Congress late Tuesday passed a new law that would give the country’s domestic workers the same employment rights as any other worker in the country, reported Reuters, bringing an end to nearly two decades of unequal treatment, where housemaids and other staff did not have access to overtime or other healthcare benefits.
The Brazilian Congress late Tuesday passed a new law that would give the country’s domestic workers the same employment rights as any other worker in the country, reported Reuters, bringing an end to nearly two decades of unequal treatment, where housemaids and other staff did not have access to overtime or other healthcare benefits.
“We are finally burying the slave quarters,” told Senator Antonio Carlos Valadares to his colleagues after the Congress had unanimously approved the constitutional amendment.
Approximately seven million people, mostly women, work as housemaids and cooks in Brazil; and they will be now entitled to overtime pay on workdays longer than eight hours; or 44 hours a week.
Related: Gender Equality: Key To Wealth & Happiness In Nordic Countries
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“This is critical, because one of the main concerns of domestic workers around the world is that their working days are often without end,” said Claire Hobdan, a technical officer on domestic work for the International Labour Organisation, to the Vatican Radio.
[quote]“The remuneration that they receive never really takes into account overtime, or night work in many cases, so this will really allow a lot of people . . . to actually have a better balance between their work life and their family life which also is a means of realizing their human rights. So the effects should actually be quite significant,” she added.[/quote]Nonetheless some fear that the new law may push many people to fire their maids rather than give them the extra benefits. Additionally it could push more workers into the informal sector.
Reuters say that it also unclear how the new constitutional guarantees will translate into practice, especially where even well-established industries in Brazil are rife with informal employment.
In 2012, the cost of domestic services in Brazil rose over 12 percent – the largest single contribution to a rising consumer price index. Overtime pay and new benefits are likely to accelerate the trend.
Still many domestic workers have welcomed the move, especially as they will be entitled to paid vacation, maternity leave and pensions.
“I think it’s about time people recognized the value of this work,” said Rita Figueiredo Sousa, who began working as a maid in Sao Paulo two years ago.
[quote]”You can see attitudes are starting to change. If you do your work well, you deserve the same respect as anyone else,” she said.[/quote]Related: 35 Million Brazilians Escaped Poverty Over Last Decade: Study
Related: Brazil On Verge Of Ending Extreme Poverty, Claims Rousseff
The constitutional amendment is also seen as a symbolic victory, due to the nation’s long history of treating domestic workers as “servants.” Many Brazilian apartments have separate entrances, elevators and closet-sized bedrooms specifically designed for their domestic workers, said Reuters.
