Lebanese domestic workers to unionize
Domestic workers in Lebanon are working together to create a union to push for their rights and thwart potential abuses.
In their fight against abuse and violence, around 200 foreign female domestic workers launched the first domestic workers union of Lebanon, with the help of the Federation of Trade Unions of Workers and Employees Union (FENASOL), an organization that has worked with foreign domestic employees for the past four years to make the government consider their rights. The union is the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa, but was still not recognized by the Ministry of Labor two months after its official creation.
The women who pushed for the founding of the domestic workers union can be found outside Beirut. In the gym of the College des Freres Unis school in Salouni, on March 15, well-dressed Sri Lankan women set up their annual Sri Lanka Women Society's Day. Mala, a domestic worker who has been in Lebanon for 33 years, is the organizer of the event, which has today a different feel.
“I'm the vice president of the new workers union and today we celebrate its creation, in addition to our special women's day,” she told Al-Monitor. “With the syndicate, we can now reach more girls and help ourselves. There are too many things to do. We need to talk about safety, working hours … It's human rights.”
In her opinion, “We [domestic workers] help the Lebanese people in the home, and they can help us getting our rights.” Some Filipino workers came to support them on this day of traditional celebrations, as did Gemma, who declared herself “a unionist.”
