International Household Workers’ Day

Readers:

They are the women who work quietly and hard in tens of thousands of homes across Bolivia, cooking, cleaning, and caring for other people's children. They are a huge part of Bolivian culture and Bolivian economics – household workers.

Last week marked the global International Day of the Household Worker, and the 20th anniversary of the union in Cochabamba that organizes and represents them. To mark both those occasions, Leny Olivera and Melissa Draper of The Democracy Center went to the local celebration (dancing a good part of the afternoon, I hear) and spoke with the women and union leaders. Here is their report.

Jim Shultz

International Household Workers’ Day

March 30 is the day that Bolivia—and the international community—honors household workers. One year ago, President Evo Morales made the day official during a packed ceremony at the Government Palace in La Paz. In the audience were household workers who had traveled from the farthest reaches of the country to celebrate the day. The finest embroidered shawls, hats and pollera skirts were on elegant display by a group of women who had never before been invited to the Palace’s central salon with its giant stained-glass version of Bolivia’s coat of arms overhead.

Household workers are like no other sector in Bolivia’s workforce. It is a sector made up of almost all women. The majority—especially those in Cochabamba and La Paz--are migrants from the rural areas where Quechua and Aymara are spoken more than Spanish. Once in the city, these women work in relative isolation. Unlike other organized sectors, household workers do not have a central, physical place—like a factory, a university, or an office—where they regularly collect for work and where they could begin to organize. Instead, they work alone in private homes.

The Law 2450, passed in 2003, marks one of the movement’s greatest achievements. After ten years of building consensus among local household worker unions, building a team of lawyers and specialists and launching into the depths of Bolivian Congressional politics, household workers were legally recognized for the first time. Since 2003, the challenge continues to be the enforcement of the law, which requires training of special job inspectors, local mediators and lawyers, the regional and national Labor Department and judges. Most importantly, it means educating household workers and their employers about their rights.

Almost every Bolivia has a connection to a household worker: either they are related to one, or they are part of a family that directly benefits from their work—cooking, cleaning and caring for children and the elderly. These women and their work reach into every part of Bolivian society.

On April 2, scores of household workers collected at the local union headquarters to celebrate their special day on the only day they have free every week: Sunday. Despite the presidential decree’s requirement that household workers should not work on March 30 since it is officially a holiday, it is not widely recognized yet.

One of the members of the executive committee of the union, Julia, spoke to us about what March 30 means to women like her, important aspects of their labor law, and some of her experience as a household worker over the past nine years since she first started working at 16.

Q: What does March 30 represent for household workers?

A: First, thank you for this interview. March 30 is very important for us. Last year, with President Evo Morales’ support, our sector was recognized. This is a day that brings us together so we can share with one another and think about our futures--not only about continuing our work as household workers, but about educating ourselves and empowering ourselves. Today we celebrate each other. In the end, we all want to support our country and put an end to exploitation and discrimination.

Q: When was the local union in Cochabamba founded and how many members does it have?

A: Our union was founded in December 1987. This year, we’ll celebrate 20 years. Currently we have around 3,000 members, but of course not all of those women come to our regular meetings. There have to be around 10,000 women that we don’t have any contact with, who do not know about the union and aren’t registered as members. To reach these women, and to disseminate information about our rights thanks to Law 2450, we have to use the radio and other strategies to reach them.

Q: How has the Law 2450 benefited the household workers of Bolivia?

A: Before, there was no labor law protecting household workers. Then, with the passage of Law 2450 the conditions have gotten a little better. Before, so many household workers were exploited. There was so much discrimination. Little by little it has been getting better. Little by little the employers and the workers, themselves, have been learning about their rights. This is the function of the union: not just to help the workers but also the employers. If both know what their rights are, we can help protect both of them and bad things won’t have to happen.

Q: How many years have you been working as a household worker?

A: I started working in [the city of] Cochabamba in 1997. I had good luck: I always found good employers. I thank them to this day because they always understood me well. I cannot complain because they always respected my free days, gave me permission to leave and I would even tell them about my role with the local union. When you have that kind of understanding with your employer, you have much more passion for your work and you do a good job.

I have already been working for nine years—since I was 16 years old. While I worked I also studied. As we get older, we have to make space for our studies, go to high school or maybe another institute where we can learn new skills.

Q: How did you become a household worker?

A: I came from the province of Cornelio Saavedra in Potosí. I had been working there for six months for a salary of 80 Bolivianos (roughly $10) a month. That was 1995. I was 16 years old and for me, well, this was a lot of money. When my sister decided to go to Cochabamba I went with her. I started working for 200 Bolivianos (about $25) a month. I did this out of necessity because I wanted to help my brothers and sisters and my mother, who was already getting older. My father had already died. It was my responsibility to work and help them out.

Q: According to the Law 2450, what is the minimum wage for a household worker?

A: The law says a household worker should earn at least 500 Bolivianos (roughly $63) a month. However, we have a lot of problems with this. Some Bolivians say it is more than they can pay, and we understand this because some who don’t have a large income. But often, a household worker is made to work every day, including Sundays, and without permission to study. That is when we begin to have big problems. For example, the law says that if a household worker works on a holiday or Sunday, the employer has to pay them extra for this. We confront this issue when we do mediation at the Labor Department because many employers do not understand this. For this reason, we are working hard to get information out on the radios and other press.
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At the same time Julia was giving an interview about Law 2450 in Bolivia, another Bolivian household worker was meeting national Congressional representatives in Mexico City. Casimira Rodriguez, founder of the Cochabamba union of household workers and former Bolivian Minister of Justice (2005-2006) has spent the last week working with grassroots leaders and politicians in Mexico about formulating a special labor law, like Bolivia’s, for household workers in Mexico. Her debut on CNN Latin America took her image and the household worker’s message not just across Mexico, but also across the continent. It appears the Bolivian example might just be catching on.

Written by Leny Olivera and Melissa Draper