Enforcement of laws regulating domestic work - a case study of South Africa
(2011) JURM01 20111Department of Law
- Abstract (Swedish)
- I juni 2011 antog ILO konventionen om goda villkor för hushållsarbetare. Konventionen fastställer anställningsvillkor och arbetsrättigheter för hushållsarbetare. Hushållsarbete sker, till skillnad från andra former av arbete, i privata hem utan insyn från det offentliga och är ofta ett ensamarbete. Detta innebär att hushållsarbetare riskerar att bli utsatta för missförhållanden och exploatering. Konventionen om goda villkor för hushållsarbetare förpliktigar stater att realisera dess bestämmelser genom lagstiftning. Hushållsarbetets specifika karaktär väcker dock vissa frågor angående staters möjlighet att genomdriva nationell lagstiftning på området. Den här uppsatsen undersöker det praktiska genomdrivandet av redan existerande nationell... (More)
- I juni 2011 antog ILO konventionen om goda villkor för hushållsarbetare. Konventionen fastställer anställningsvillkor och arbetsrättigheter för hushållsarbetare. Hushållsarbete sker, till skillnad från andra former av arbete, i privata hem utan insyn från det offentliga och är ofta ett ensamarbete. Detta innebär att hushållsarbetare riskerar att bli utsatta för missförhållanden och exploatering. Konventionen om goda villkor för hushållsarbetare förpliktigar stater att realisera dess bestämmelser genom lagstiftning. Hushållsarbetets specifika karaktär väcker dock vissa frågor angående staters möjlighet att genomdriva nationell lagstiftning på området. Den här uppsatsen undersöker det praktiska genomdrivandet av redan existerande nationell lagstiftning som reglerar hushållsarbetares arbetsvillkor och arbetsrättigheter genom att undersöka exemplet Sydafrika. Sydafrika har sedan 1993 vittomfattande arbetsrättslagstiftning inom detta område och har etablerat mekanismer för arbetsinspektioner och arbetsrättslig tvistelösning för att genomdriva arbetsrättslagstiftning som reglerar hushållsarbetares arbetsvillkor och arbetsrättigheter. För att undersöka det praktiska genomdrivandet av sydafrikansk arbetsrättslagstiftning på området genomfördes våren 2011 en fältstudie i Sydafrika under vilken data inhämtades genom intervjuer med relevanta personer. Data som inhämtades under fältstudien samt data erhållen från annat material indikerar att det Sydafrikanska systemet för arbetsinspektioner och arbetsrättslig tvistelösning stöter på många hinder vad gäller genomdrivandet av arbetsrättslagstiftning som reglerar hushållsarbete. Dessa hinder beror på hushållsarbetets specifika karaktär och resultatet från undersökningen är därför generellt applicerbart. Den slutsats som kan dras är att alternativa åtgärder till arbetsinspektion och arbetsrättslig tvistelösning är nödvändiga för att säkerställa ett effektivt skydd av hushållsarbetares arbetsrättigheter och arbetsvillkor. (Less)
- Abstract
- In June 2011, the Domestic Workers Convention was adopted in the ILO. The Convention establishes minimum conditions of employment and labour rights for domestic workers. In contrast to other types of work, domestic work takes place in private households, in isolation and hidden from public insight. This makes domestic workers vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. The Domestic Workers Convention obligates member states to realize its provisions through legislative measures. Considering the specific characteristics of domestic work, concern can however be raised regarding the ability of states to enforce national legislation regulating domestic work. The thesis sets out to examine the practical enforcement of already existing national labour... (More)
- In June 2011, the Domestic Workers Convention was adopted in the ILO. The Convention establishes minimum conditions of employment and labour rights for domestic workers. In contrast to other types of work, domestic work takes place in private households, in isolation and hidden from public insight. This makes domestic workers vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. The Domestic Workers Convention obligates member states to realize its provisions through legislative measures. Considering the specific characteristics of domestic work, concern can however be raised regarding the ability of states to enforce national legislation regulating domestic work. The thesis sets out to examine the practical enforcement of already existing national labour legislation establishing rights and conditions of employment for domestic workers. In order to examine the matter, South Africa is used as the example. South Africa has since 1993 established a comprehensive framework of labour legislation providing conditions of employment and labour rights for domestic workers. South African labour legislation on domestic workers is enforced through the means of a labour inspection system, which includes a complaint mechanism system, and a labour dispute resolution system. A field study was conducted in South Africa in 2011 under which data was collected through interviews with relevant persons. Data obtained from the field study as well as data obtained from other materials indicate that the South African labour inspection system and the labour dispute resolution system face many obstacles in respect of enforcement of legislation regulating domestic work. These obstacles are connected to the specific characteristics of domestic work and the findings therefore have general applicability. The conclusion that can be drawn is that additional measures to labour inspection and labour dispute resolution must be taken in order to establish protection of domestic workers’ labour rights and conditions of employment. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/2158754
- author
- Sjöberg, Ellen LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- JURM01 20111
- year
- 2011
- type
- H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
- subject
- keywords
- international labour law, public international law, international human rights law, South Africa, South African labour law, domestic workers, Domestic Workers Convention, International Labour Organisation, labour inspection, labour dispute resolution, Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration
- language
- English
- id
- 2158754
- date added to LUP
- 2011-09-21 14:07:13
- date last changed
- 2011-09-21 14:07:13
@misc{2158754,
abstract = {{In June 2011, the Domestic Workers Convention was adopted in the ILO. The Convention establishes minimum conditions of employment and labour rights for domestic workers. In contrast to other types of work, domestic work takes place in private households, in isolation and hidden from public insight. This makes domestic workers vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. The Domestic Workers Convention obligates member states to realize its provisions through legislative measures. Considering the specific characteristics of domestic work, concern can however be raised regarding the ability of states to enforce national legislation regulating domestic work. The thesis sets out to examine the practical enforcement of already existing national labour legislation establishing rights and conditions of employment for domestic workers. In order to examine the matter, South Africa is used as the example. South Africa has since 1993 established a comprehensive framework of labour legislation providing conditions of employment and labour rights for domestic workers. South African labour legislation on domestic workers is enforced through the means of a labour inspection system, which includes a complaint mechanism system, and a labour dispute resolution system. A field study was conducted in South Africa in 2011 under which data was collected through interviews with relevant persons. Data obtained from the field study as well as data obtained from other materials indicate that the South African labour inspection system and the labour dispute resolution system face many obstacles in respect of enforcement of legislation regulating domestic work. These obstacles are connected to the specific characteristics of domestic work and the findings therefore have general applicability. The conclusion that can be drawn is that additional measures to labour inspection and labour dispute resolution must be taken in order to establish protection of domestic workers’ labour rights and conditions of employment.}},
author = {{Sjöberg, Ellen}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Enforcement of laws regulating domestic work - a case study of South Africa}},
year = {{2011}},
}