There are few portraits more cruel of our classism that of the domestic worker. There is the backbone of the system of privileges and power, sustained by the informal work of these women. They are the caliper invisible joins the work from home with the economic system, they are in charge of the home for other work in the formal economy. They are often the center of the affections and care of our loved ones, livelihood and order of the homes.
despite their essential contribution, this is real value that we give to the 2.3 million domestic workers in Mexico. 87% of them do not receive year-end bonus, paid vacation, or health insurance. The 99% do not have a written contract, and 97% of them are working in conditions of informality, according to figures from the National Survey on Discrimination (ENADIS). The same survey reflected that 75% of women workers earn less than two minimum wages. 97% of the workers do not have access to medical care, and 30% reported not to have rest time during their work day.
we Hear commonly that these workers are the want to as if they were part of the family, but their quarters are in a worse condition, do not eat at the same table, sometimes they don’t even have a desk, have their own covered, and sometimes eat leftovers from their employers. Taking care of children, leaving his own behind. Dwell in the midst of luxuries that do not belong to them. In this strange informal arrangement the workers live with their employers between affection and violence. This is the system of modern slavery that nobody wants to talk about.
Fortunately, has come to Rome (2018). The movie of Alfonso Cuarón portrays a home through the eyes of Cleo, an indigenous woman and domestic worker. The director deals with the uneasy relationship with the employees of the home, who, many times, we love you and we entrust the care of our loved ones without our being able to pay them a better salary, vacation and christmas bonuses.
Located in 1971, Rome takes you to the past to see the cars, the toys and the fads that do not already exist. However, to classism, racism, and discrimination against domestic workers, it seems that the time has not passed. In our culture, some things endure and others do not, because this is what we have chosen. If not, how else explicaríamos that so many things have changed but not the conditions of this group?
To change things there is no bet the more effective that support people who, after years of exploitation a day to get organized and begin to lead social movements. People of privilege have already had their time to voluntarily switch things without that happening. The Social Security Act establishes that domestic workers fall within the regime of voluntary involvement and that has resulted in only 2.6% of them have social security. It is not by voluntarism of the oppressor that we change Cratosslot a system of oppression.
Fortunately, the Second Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation ordered this Wednesday at the Mexican Institute of Social Security that will make the adaptations necessary for the inclusion mandatory, and not voluntary, the workers of the home. The decision is historic, though surprising that until today the law in Mexico recognizes the obvious: that human rights should not be subject to voluntarism.
Another important decision awaits us in the Senate, where it will seek to reform the General employment Law. This Law allows a worker to work up to 12 hours a day. There are provided a clause ridiculous that obligates the employer to “save consideration to the domestic worker, to refrain from any ill-treatment by word or deed.” Inside and outside of the law we are cured of faults to reiterate that we treat them well, as if they were family. This cantaleta already does not convince the domestic workers are organized, who are demanding their rights and changes to the law.
Tzome Ixuk is an organization of women tojolabal located in Las Margaritas, Chiapas, to struggle to improve the working conditions of domestic workers. The women leaders of Tzome Ixuk escaped at the beginning of the eighties of an estate where their families had nearly a century living in slavery. To get to the city found as the only option, the domestic work and discovered that the conditions of slavery were similar. Created a cooperative of nixtamal to leave those jobs. It began its political construction. Today fighting in defense of indigenous communities and domestic workers in Chiapas. Are heroines that against wind and tide, they managed to get out of the exploitation as domestic workers. Today they defend the rights of the other workers who remain invisible in our country, torn away from any other destination, working all your life until you are no longer able to do so.
Stories like this are the ones that I encounter every day in my work in Fund Seeds, an organization that for more than 28 years, he has supported social organizations like Tzome Ixuk. Marcelina Bautista, also extrabajadora of the home, is another leader who Fund Seed has funded for more than 10 years. After years of struggle, Marcelina and her organization, CACEH, founded in 2015, the first National Union of women Workers of the Home. Since then, the union is promoting the affiliation of women workers of the home and the signing of labor contracts with their employers. Just last week, Marcelina told me that they have only managed to obtain 20 contracts signed by employers. Twenty contracts in a country of 2.3 million domestic workers.
There is to see Rome, but that Rome is truly a movie of time for things to change.
Laura García Coudurier is executive director of the association Fund Seeds
