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Call on the Uk government to end domestic slavery

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Please write to the new Business Secretary, Vince Cable MP, calling on the new government to support the adoption of an International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on domestic work.

At the recent International Labour Conference in Geneva, ILO member states, including governments, met for the very first time to discuss the Convention. Although the UK voted against having recommended actions only for governments, thus not obstructing the negotiations for a Convention that would require states to take action to protect domestic workers, its suport for a full Convention is still hesitant.

We will have to wait until the 2011 ILC for the final vote as to whether a full domestic work Convention will be adopted but please continue to urge the new government to take the lead in the negotiations and ensure domestic workers everywhere are protected from abuse.

Your message

Subject:

Dear Business Secretary,

I am writing to you as I am deeply concerned about the situation of domestic workers in the UK and around the world, many of whom are subject to abuse, exploitation and slavery. I would like to ask your government to support a new International Labour Organization (ILO) convention on domestic work to protect domestic workers from these human rights violations.

Working behind closed doors in private households, domestic work is all too often undervalued and unregulated. In many countries domestic workers are excluded from national labour legislation. Existing international conventions have failed to address the unique circumstances of domestic work and have failed to provide domestic workers with adequate protection against exploitation and slavery.

At the International Labour Conference starting on the 2nd June 2010, member states of the ILO will be meeting for the first time to decide whether to create a new international convention on domestic work. This represents an historic opportunity for improved and specific legal protections for domestic workers.

The UK is currently well ahead of other countries in providing protections to domestic workers including the National Minimum Wage, proper rest periods, holiday pay, and prohibiting employers from confiscating the passports of domestic workers.

However the former government, whilst making significant efforts to address the abuse of domestic workers in this country, continued to express reservations in supporting the creation of a new ILO convention. I would find it extremely disappointing should your government continue to adopt this position. Domestic workers everywhere deserve the same rights and protections as those working in the UK.

I sincerely hope that the your new government will reconsider this position and strengthen its support for the convention. At the International Labour Conference in June, the UK government has the opportunity to take a leading role among the international community to address the abuse of domestic workers both in the UK and around the world and ensure their rights are upheld.&nbsp;

I therefore urge the government to:
- Support a new robust ILO convention on domestic work, supplemented by a Recommendation, to protect the rights of domestic workers in the UK and worldwide
- Ensure the Convention recognises the special conditions in which domestic work is carried out, sets out clear rules to prevent abuse, and promotes equality for domestic workers under labour laws.
- Ensure the Convention contains specific provisions to protect child and migrant domestic workers.

I look forward to your reply.

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