Domestic Workers Being Empowered

The Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport is working cohesively with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, agencies and the private sector to implement policies designed to empower domestic workers and other persons, says Portfolio Minister, Hon. Olivia Grange.

In a speech read by Principal Director in the Ministry, Sharon Coburn Robinson, at the launch of the Shirley Pryce Care in Action Foundation for Domestic Workers on March 30, at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, the Minister said this represents the collective efforts and the spirit “of partnership and the unwavering commitment to justice and equality for all workers”.

“This is making sure that workers are equipped with tools that will get them skilled, so they can move into spaces that will allow them to earn more, or if they stay, to enhance what it is that they already have,” Ms. Grange said.

The Minister emphasised that education is a cornerstone for empowerment, and the Jamaica Household Workers Union has launched a manual for household workers and employers in Jamaica that is very critical because it serves as an “educational tool”, outlining the rights and responsibilities of domestic workers and their employers.

“It is trying to bridge that gap between that delicate balance between the workers and their employers,” she said.

Arguing that domestic workers have been the “silent foundation” of the society, Minister Grange underscored that they have cared for and supported countless families in their homes and have raised “our children often with very little recognition and even less protection”.

The Care in Action Foundation, the Minister said, shows that household workers must have access to training, support, opportunities, learning, and just about everything that is required to uplift them and their families.

She added that the Foundation serves as a pivot for individual, collective, and “purposeful action” and that there is an obligation and responsibility to work towards creating a society where each domestic worker and all other workers are seen, heard, cared for, and celebrated.

“They are to be valued, validated, protected, and empowered to make Jamaica the place of choice to live, work, do business, raise families, and attain the highest possible standard of living and quality of life,” the Minister said.