ILO trains 100 domestic workers on working rights   

MWANZA: THE International Labour Organization (ILO), WoteSawa, in collaboration with the Union of Domestic, Conservation, Hotel and Domestic Workers Union (CHODAWU) has brought together about 100 domestic workers in Mwanza to provide them with knowledge to help identify their rights and improve their working conditions.

Speaking during the opening of the training for domestic workers held in Mwanza, the Project Coordinator for Improving Recognition and Working Conditions for Domestic Workers at the ILO East Africa Office, Chiku Semfuko, said that domestic workers are like other employees and are recognized under labor laws.

Stressing her point, Chiku said that although the laws exist, the group still faces various challenges and therefore needs education to understand their rights and responsibilities at workplaces.

Head of the Legal Department at CHODAWU National, Asteria Gerald, noted that among the union’s ongoing efforts is providing training to domestic workers across the country.

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Elaborating, he said that last week, they succeeded in training a group of domestic workers from various regions in Arusha, ensuring that they create peer educators who are domestic workers themselves.

Also, the  Director of the WOTESAWA Organization in Mwanza, Angela Benedicto, said that the training participants were divided into two groups: one for women who commute to work daily, and another for young girls living with their employers.

According to her, the training aims to empower the workers to understand their rights, duties, contracts, and relevant laws.

One of the domestic workers from Mwanza, Elizabeth John, said that domestic workers face many challenges, including some employers who abuse them by delaying or failing to pay their salaries on time.