My Journey to Geneva: Representing IDWFED Europe for the 15th Anniversary of ILO C189

What Difference Has ILO Convention 189 Made in Europe and the UK?

Marissa Begonia’ speech at the IDWFED panel event in the ILO during the 15^th Anniversary of the ILO C189, Decent Work for Domestic Workers Convention C189 - Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189)). Marissa was also IDWFED – Europe Representative at the recent adoption of the ILO C193 convention concerning decent work in the platform economy (Convention concerning decent work in the platform economy, 2026 | International Labour Organization) 

Fifteen years ago, I sat in the negotiating room of the International Labour Organization (ILO) as a domestic worker delegate. I vividly remember taking a seat at the table of government representatives who were opposing almost every article of Convention 189. During lunch and dinner breaks, I spoke directly to them. I looked them in the eye and told them what this Convention meant to me and to millions of domestic workers around the world.

I told them that, for once in their lives, they should do the right thing.

That moment changed me. Standing here fifteen years later, reflecting on what we achieved, the significance of that struggle feels overwhelming.

What Convention 189 Changed in Europe

ILO Convention 189 was a historic breakthrough. For the first time, domestic workers were recognised globally as workers entitled to rights, dignity, and protection.

Across Europe, the Convention became a catalyst for legal reforms and political recognition. To date, eleven European countries have ratified Convention 189:

· Germany (2013)

· Italy (2013)

· Ireland (2014)

· Belgium (2015)

· Finland (2015)

· Portugal (2015)

· Malta (2018)

· Sweden (2019)

· Switzerland (2021)

· Spain (2023)

· Norway (2024)

Each ratification strengthened the recognition of domestic work and helped advance:

· stronger labour protections

· clearer employment contracts

· limits on working hours

· access to social security

· greater protection from abuse and exploitation

· recognition of domestic work as real work

Perhaps even more importantly, Convention 189 provided domestic workers with both a legal framework and a moral foundation to organise, unionise, and demand change.

Across Europe, domestic workers moved from invisibility to visibility.

The impact of this transformation can be seen within the European trade union movement. Domestic work is now recognised as a sector within the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT). Domestic workers have gained allies, representation, and a stronger collective voice at both national and European levels.

The UK: A Painful Contrast — and a Story of Resistance

The United Kingdom chose not to ratify Convention 189.

Even more painfully, while domestic workers around the world were celebrating this historic victory, the UK Government moved in the opposite direction. In 2012, it removed key protections from the Overseas Domestic Worker visa, protections that had been recognised internationally as among the strongest safeguards against abuse, exploitation, and modern slavery.

For migrant domestic workers in the UK, Convention 189 became two things at once:

· a symbol of what we had won globally; and

· a reminder of what had been taken away from us at home.

Yet the government underestimated one thing.

Removing our rights did not weaken us.

It radicalised us.

It organised us.

It united us.

The Organising Power of Migrant Domestic Workers

Today, the UK has something powerful and historic: an established Migrant Domestic Workers Branch, Unite Branch 9225, within the country's largest trade union.

This is far more than an organisational achievement.

It is a political statement.

It is a legacy of Convention 189.

Branch 9225 demonstrates that migrant domestic workers are not passive victims. We are leaders, organisers, negotiators, and campaigners.

Our branch shows that:

· migrant domestic workers are organised, unionised, and strategic

· we have built alliances across the labour movement

· we have secured a permanent home within the UK's largest trade union

· we are shaping policy and influencing debates

· we are demanding justice, not charity

This branch exists because domestic workers refused to disappear. We continued organising, educating, campaigning, and building power even when the law turned against us.

What Convention 189 Means to Me Personally

When I think back to 2011, I remember the exhaustion, the uncertainty, and the determination.

I remember fighting for every word in that Convention.

I remember the governments that tried to block us.

I remember the tears when we finally succeeded.

And now, fifteen years later, I stand here not only as a witness to that history but as evidence of what domestic workers can achieve when we organise.

Being here today is emotional because I know how far we have come.

It is significant because I know how far we still have to go.

And it is powerful because I am surrounded by a movement that is stronger, more confident, and more united than ever before.

The Difference Convention 189 Made

Convention 189 did not simply change laws.

It changed us.

It gave domestic workers:

· a global identity

· a shared language of rights

· a legal tool to challenge exploitation

· the confidence to organise

· the legitimacy to demand recognition

· a platform to speak for ourselves

And in the UK, even without ratification, Convention 189 gave us the moral authority to expose injustice and build the organising power that now lives through Unite Branch 9225.

Fifteen Years Later

Fifteen years later, I am still fighting.

We are still fighting.

And we will continue fighting until migrant domestic workers in the UK regain the rights that were taken from us, and until the UK finally does what it should have done fifteen years ago:

Ratify ILO Convention 189 and restore justice to the workers who care for families, children, older people, and households across this country.

My Dream for the Next Fifteen Years

When I think about the next fifteen years, I dream of a world where migrant domestic workers finally stand equal — respected as workers, as women, and as human beings.

I dream of a future where:

· every migrant domestic worker enjoys full rights, regardless of immigration status

· no worker is tied to an employer and trapped in abuse or fear

· families are reunited rather than separated by borders and restrictive immigration policies

· children grow up with their mothers, not through phone calls and tears

· domestic workers are recognised as skilled professionals

· our work is valued, respected, and visible

· governments listen to us and make decisions with us, not about us

I dream of a United Kingdom where:

· migrant domestic workers enjoy the same rights as all other workers

· the Overseas Domestic Worker visa is restored and strengthened

· the UK ratifies ILO Convention 189

· exploitation is no longer tolerated and those responsible are held accountable

· domestic workers can build stable lives, secure homes, and hopeful futures

And I dream of a movement that continues to grow:

· Unite Branch 9225 expanding across the country

· migrant domestic workers leading campaigns, negotiations, and policy change

· our voices shaping laws and institutions

· solidarity growing across borders, communities, and generations

Fifteen years from now, I want to look back and be able to say:

We won the rights we deserved.

We brought our families back together.

We transformed dignity from an aspiration into a reality.

That is my dream.

And together, we will make it happen.

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