The Enduring Vulnerability of Migrant Domestic Workers in Europe

Abstract

While the rights of domestic workers are expanding in international law, including through the adoption of the ILO Domestic Workers Convention in 2011, migrant domestic workers remain particularly vulnerable to employment-related abuse and exploitation. This article explores the intersection of the employment law and migration law regimes applicable to migrant domestic workers in the United Kingdom, France and Ireland. The article suggests that the precarious immigration status of many migrant domestic workers renders employment protections, such as they exist in each jurisdiction, largely illusory in practice for this group of workers. The labour standards contained in the Domestic Workers Convention, together with the recommendations of the UN Committee on Migrant Workers on the features of an appropriate immigration regime for migrant domestic workers, are identified as providing an alternative normative model for national regulatory frameworks.

Human Trafficking in Domestic Work in the EU: A Special Case or a Learning Ground for the Anti-Trafficking Field?

“…Some policies and laws may actually foster or create what has been framed as a legislative precariousness (Albin & Mantouvalou, 2012), contributing to the worker's vulnerability to abuse and dependence on the employer (Murphy, 2013;Williams, 2012). At the core of these interlocking regimes is that domestic work stands in a unique position: at the intersection of the market and the family, two important domains that are shaped by sociocultural norms and legal frames (Triandafyllidou & Marchetti, 2015).…”

“…Countries included in this issue represent variances in the way domestic work is regulated (Murphy, 2013;Triandafyllidou, 2013;Triandafyllidou & Marchetti, 2015;van Hooren, 2012;Williams, 2012). These countries have different welfare regimes, different immigration policies, and different labor market regulations concerning domestic work.…”

The ILO's Domestic Workers Convention and Recommendation: A window of opportunity for social justice

“…2(2). 51 For a discussion of the Convention's approach to migrant workers, see also Blackett (2012) and Murphy (2013). 52 The ILO's main instruments on labour migration are Convention No.…”

El Convenio y la Recomendación de la OIT sobre las trabajadoras y los trabajadores domésticos. Una oportunidad para la justicia social

“…50 Ibid., artículo 2, 2). 51 En relación con el enfoque del Convenio con respecto a los trabajadores migrantes, véanse también Blackett (2012) y Murphy (2013). 52 Los principales instrumentos de la OIT sobre migración laboral son los Convenios núms.…”