We carry out a range of campaigns targeted at employers, the Ministry of Labour, media, and to raise awareness about issues such as domestic violence.
Employer Campaigns
Ensuring safe and decent working conditions, while necessary to be mandated in law, is largely the responsibility of employers. We carry out campaigns to raise awareness about the need for employers to ensure such conditions while we advocate for these to be legislated.
What can you do as an employer to make sure your home is a safe and decent place of work?
As an employer, you are in a position to ensure that, despite a lack of legal regulation, the domestic workers in your home are able to work and live under decent conditions. Below, we have condensed the main points outlined in our Charter.
As an employer, you have the power to ensure the following:
Working Hours & Pay
1. Domestic workers’ working hours should not exceed 48 hours per week- daily and weekly hours of work should be fixed and communicated prior to beginning work.
2. Domestic workers should get 3 breaks a day – a 15-minute morning tea break, a 30-minute afternoon lunch break and a 15-minute evening tea break.
3. Domestic workers should receive one and a half a day’s salary if they agree to work on Sundays and on other holidays.
4. Domestic workers should be paid on time – a detailed pay slip should be given to the worker on pay day to maintain a record of payment.
Leave
5. Domestic workers should be granted casual leave, medical leave and earned/annual leave. This is crucial for workers to be able to function productively and remain healthy.
Privacy
6. Residential (live-in) domestic workers should be provided a separate room to maintain privacy.
7. Daily domestic workers should be provided with a decent, private space to change their clothes and rest during their breaks.
8. Domestic workers should be able to enjoy a positive work environment wholly devoid, and even punitive of, any kinds of sexual, physical, emotional or mental abuse/violence.
Maternity Benefits
9. Domestic workers who are feeding mothers should be granted time to feed their children.
Cessation of employment
10. Domestic workers should receive a prior 2 months’ notice before being asked to stop work. Similarly, the domestic worker should give their employer 2 months’ notice if they decide to leave their place of work.
Media Campaigns
We publish articles in national newspapers highlighting the plight of domestic workers and advocating for their inclusion into labour law. We also take part in TV interviews.
Wage Campaigns
Workers decide upon a required monthly wage for daily workers and residential workers, noting specifics of over-time, based on the district in which these campaigns are carried out, workers decide upon a required monthly wage.
This involves signature campaigning to build a support base with which to enhance advocacy.
We also put on street dramas to raise public awareness as well as holding events on significant public holidays such as May Day.
Domestic Workers' Union of Sri Lanka 