SWAZILAND AGAINST MAIDS’ RIGHTS

Swaziland was the only state among 183 countries to vote against a treaty to give domestic workers more employment rights.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) wants to limit working hours, guarantee weekly days off, ensure a minimum wage and protect domestic workers from violent employers. Its treaty called The Convention Concerning Decent Work for Domestic Workers also guarantees privacy for live-in workers, school time for workers under 18, and equal treatment for migrants.

Swaziland was the only country that voted against it among 183 ILO members, and eight other countries abstained.

Although the convention was overwhelmingly passed at a conference in Geneva, all countries have yet to ratify it.