Hon House Chair, hon members, the convention that we are presenting to you came about as a result of the negotiations that took place in the International Labour Organisation, ILO, in Geneva. These negotiations started informally in early 2005-06 up until they were formalised in 2009. The actual report was tabled before the ILO in 2011, then the convention was decided upon at that level last year.
The domestic sector is one of the sectors with vulnerable workers. South Africa, as a country, has a sectoral determination that governs working conditions in this sector, hence we are now presenting this convention in terms of which we are making sure that we, in a way, adapt where we have setbacks. I am presenting this convention for adoption by the House. Thank you. [Applause.]
There was no debate.
Declarations of vote have been received. I will allow up to about three minutes per member of a party to make a declaration.
Declarations of vote:
House Chair, let me state upfront that we, as the DA, agree with the approval of the convention. It is commendable that, as a country, we are making a concerted effort to improve the quality of the lives of the domestic workers who, for far too long, have been regarded as somewhat lesser workers. In this regard, domestic workers will now enjoy most of the rights afforded to other workers, including legislative protection, such as regulated working hours, minimum wages, overtime payment, daily and weekly rest periods, social security and maternity leave.
However, it's a pity that the Minister has just walked out; a major gap in the provision of better working conditions for domestic workers is that they are not covered under the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act, Coida. We do take note that the Compensation Fund has committed itself to investigating their inclusion in Coida and the Unemployment Insurance Fund, UIF. They are also looking at the possibility of a provident fund for domestic workers. We call on the Department of Labour to facilitate these processes as we look forward to the outcomes of the investigations into Coida and the UIF. As a supporter of the convention, South Africa would not want to be found wanting when the ILO comes in to look at what we are doing in this sector.
However, there is something to which I want to draw the attention of members here. While government is doing its part to normalise the employment environment of domestic workers, some of us - and that includes all of us in this country, whom I call mini-employers since we only employ one or two people at our homes - are failing to keep our side of the bargain. We sometimes treat our domestic workers badly, whereas we are expected to lead by example and treat those people as we would like to be treated.
The reason I am making this simple point is that a colleague was telling me on Monday that he has met a young woman who works for one of our colleagues. They greeted nicely ...
... ka Setswana. O rile: "Le kae mme?" Ene a araba ka gore o tsogile a bo a botsa maphelo. E rile fa a botsa gore o tsholegile jang, a re: "Ke tsholegile sentle ka dijo le dilo tsotlhe di le gona. Ke robala ka fa ntlong e e seng ya badiri, mme fa kgwedi e fela, ga ke duelwe." (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)
[... in Setswana. He said: "How are you, ma'am?" She said she's well and greeted further. When asked about her employer's treatment of her, she said: "Everything is fine regarding food and other stuff. I don't sleep in the maid's house, but on month end I don't get paid."]
How can that be? Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, what has been presented here is a convention, which is an agreement between countries. Now in the country - in South Africa - we have what is called a sectoral determination that governs the conditions of work in the sector. The International Labour Organisation only comes in if a country has contravened the convention that has been agreed upon by the ILO. Now I don't know what they are making a declaration on. In fact, it is just grandstanding. Thank you. [Applause.]
Decent Work for Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No 189) and Recommendation, 2011 (No 201) approved.