Brazil commemorates week of appreciation for domestic workers
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In Brazil, National Domestic Workers’ Day was commemorated on 27 April, and appreciation activities were held throughout the week. In Salvador, a special session was held in the City Hall, together with mobilizations of domestic workers. Meanwhile, in Sao Paulo, public events were organized with support of the Central Workers’ Union and the Inter-American Trade Union Institute for Racial Equality.
Creuza Oliveira, Secretary General of the National Federation of Domestic Workers, and member of UN Women’s Civil Society Advisory Group in Brazil highlighted the achievements of domestic workers in the country in terms of labor legislation, as well as their long trajectory of social mobilization: "We have about 80 years of union organization. We have made important progress, but, like other workers, we now face the risk of a historic setback in terms of labor and welfare reforms. "
Four years ago, domestic workers were recognized for the same labor rights established in the 1988 Constitution for all other categories of work. For more than 25 years, paid domestic work was the only professional category with less labor rights in the country.
"We know that we risk losing the rights that we attained so recently, including fixing maximum hours of work per week, pension, and overtime pay," Crueza said.
Read the full story on UN Women's regional website for Latin America and the Caribbean.