Working Groups
The 5 VODW Working Groups
The Voice of Domestic Workers (VODW) is powered by five member‑led Working Groups that keep the organisation active, organised, and strong in its day‑to‑day advocacy. Each group offers a space for members to participate, lead, and contribute to the collective work of VODW.
Education Working Group
Runs VODW’s regular classes, supports learners, and coordinates with teachers to keep our community learning and growing.
• Regular classes • Attendance • Communication with teachers
The Education Working Group keeps VODW’s learning spaces alive and welcoming. They organise weekly classes, coordinate schedules, and make sure teachers have what they need to run sessions smoothly. This group tracks attendance, supports learners, and maintains warm, respectful communication with volunteer teachers. Their role is not just administrative - they help create a safe, encouraging environment where domestic workers can build confidence, learn new skills, and feel part of a community that grows together.
Trade and Union Working Group
Connects members to Unite the Union, registers new union members, and manages monthly fees to strengthen domestic workers’ collective voice.
• Bridge between Unite the Union and VODW • Membership registration
• Monthly fees
The Trade Union Working Group strengthens the connection between VODW and Unite the Union, ensuring domestic workers have access to collective power and formal representation. They guide members through joining Unite and becoming part of the Domestic Work Branch 9225, explaining rights, benefits, and the importance of union membership. This group collects monthly membership fees and remits them to Unite’s finance department with care and accuracy. Their work ensures migrant domestic workers are not isolated - they are part of a wider labour movement that stands with them.
Media and Communication
Collects updates from inside and outside VODW and produces the monthly newsletter to keep the community informed and connected.
• Updates and developments • Monthly newsletter • Internal and external communication
The Mediacom Working Group keeps the VODW community informed and connected. They gather updates from inside the organisation - classes, events, campaigns, member stories- and track developments affecting domestic workers in the UK and globally. Each month, they produce a newsletter that reflects the life, energy, and achievements of the community. Their work helps members feel seen, celebrated, and informed, while also strengthening VODW’s public voice and visibility.
Welfare Working
Group
Provides care and support for new members, especially those escaping abuse, ensuring access to GP registration, essential services, and hardship assistance.
• Support for new members escaping abuse • GP registration
• Hardship assistance
The Welfare Working Group is the frontline of care and compassion within VODW. They support new members, especially those who have escaped abusive employers, ensuring they feel safe, welcomed, and not alone. This group helps workers register with a GP through Doctors of the World, connects them to essential services, and assesses urgent needs. When necessary, they provide hardship funds for food, transport, clothing, or temporary shelter. Their role is deeply human - offering dignity, reassurance, and practical help at a moment when workers are most vulnerable.
Fundraising Working Group
Organises trips and events to raise funds that support domestic workers in crisis and help cover VODW’s everyday organisational needs.
• Trips and events • Raising funds for emergency support
• Easy-access organisational funds
The Fundraising Working Group organises trips, events, and creative activities to raise money that supports VODW’s most urgent needs. Funds raised help domestic workers who have escaped abusive employment, providing immediate assistance for food, transport, temporary accommodation, or other essentials. They also maintain an easy-access fund for day‑to‑day organisational expenses that fall outside VODW’s formal accounts. Their work keeps the organisation flexible, responsive, and able to act quickly when members need help.
