The Diffusion of International Labor Standards. Domestic Work Regulation in Argentina, South Africa and the Philippines

LORENA POBLETE

Providence

Congreso; Transformative Possibilities in the Global South. The 4th annual conference of the Sociology of Development Section, Brown University; 2015

Brown University

In South countries, domestic work is a very important activity among the female population. Domestic workers represent 11.8% of working women in Asia, 13.6% in Africa and 26.6% in Latin America. According to ILO estimates, 88% of domestic work at the global level is concentrated on these three continents (ILO, 2013). To analyze the differences and the similarities in domestic work regulation on the Global South, we choose three countries engaged in a comprehensive renew of regulation during the last three years, in which domestic work represent an important part of female labor force. In the Philippines, domestic workers represent 11% of working women; in South Africa, 16%; and in Argentina, 17%. Since 2000, the International Labour Organization has promoted "decent work" as the model for domestic labor. One of the most relevant features of this activity is informality. In an attempt to achieve labor standards, the ILO approved a specific convention for domestic workers in 2011. This convention, C189, establishes some fundamental principles, such as freedom of association or the abolition of child and compulsory labor. The convention also includes labor and social rights, such as limited working hours, a minimum wage, and access to social security systems. Even though only 16 countries have ratified C189 since it was passed, these principles have led to new regulations. The influence of C189 in national regulations seems to be not necessary related to its ratification. The majority of the countries which have ratified the convention, have modified their local regulation before, and there are many countries which have changed their regulation without starting the process of ratification. Literature shows that some International Organizations -such as ILO- have limits to enforce theirs recommendations. Here, the opposite seems to be true: C189 seems to have a significant influence in new domestic work regulations beyond bureaucratic procedures. That is why is interesting to analyze how C189 has influenced local regulations. Our hypothesis is that the influence on local regulation is related to the nature of the convention, and to the development of Decent Work Program in the South countries. On one hand, the C189 is the result of a long process in which different national social movements have participated. It is a Convention built from to bottom. That is why the diffusion process engaged actors not directly related to ILO. On the other hand, the established ILO local structure related to Decent Work Program play a central role in public debates helping to build a consensus about the necessity of the renew of local regulation. Based on ILO documents and parliamentary debates, the object of this paper is to understand the patterns of C189 diffusion. Two different diffusion patterns seem to be developed at the same time: one, from the top to the bottom, and another in the opposite direction.