ILO advocates sufficient rest for domestic workers

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is advocating the right to sufficient rest for domestic workers.

An ILO fact sheet said that domestic workers should enjoy the same right to sufficient rest as other workers

A document copied to the Ghana News Agency by the ILO said more than half of domestic workers worldwide still did not have any legal right to weekly limits on working hours.

The fact sheet shows the grim reality faced by many domestic workers throughout the world, regarding time spent working.

It especially focused on the difficult conditions experienced by live-in domestic workers who, in some countries, work more than 60 hours per week with no legislation regulating their right for adequate rest.

ILO experts stressed the negative impacts on health for domestic workers working excessively long hours with little or no rest, sometimes combined with insufficient and interrupted sleep which could lead to the increased risk of type two diabetes, heart disease and depression, to mention a few.

The research pointed out that physical and mental fatigue resulting from working excessive hours not only affected workers’ ability to perform their tasks but could also lead to increased risks of workplace accidents.

“Working long hours makes it difficult for domestic workers to maintain proper work-life balance,” the authors of the fact sheet added.