Spain’s economy was booming in 2000 because of the loans the country had taken, specially from the World Trade Bank, so most Spaniards had well paying jobs and many of them were able to become part of the middle class. This resulted in a large wave of Latin American migration to Spain, which was encouraged by the government, in order to fill in work positions that were unwanted. However, since the country had to start paying back loans and politicians became involved in money laundering, the economy has been plummeting. Spaniards are now finding themselves forced to look for low paying jobs that may not exist or that are occupied by immigrants. However, more and more Latin American immigrants are returning to their home countries because of the increasing rate of unemployment in Spain. This is creating an economic crisis in Latin American communities that depend on remittances being sent from abroad. These transnational economic problems point to the larger phenomenon of globalization and, consequently, the global chain of care that brought the first generation of the seven SEDOAC members together in 2005. This chain makes female workers face their positions as undocumented immigrants whose labor rights are violated, as mothers whose children are being taken care of by a poorer mother in their home countries and as a motherly figure to children that are not her own.
The influx of female Latin American immigrants into Spain who mainly found employment in the informal sector of domestic work quickly found that they did not have labor rights. Even though there was a labor law that was ratified in 1985, this law excluded domestic workers. El Real Decreto 1424 gave all workers certain rights in regard to getting a fair salary, having access to unemployment benefits and annual leave. However, el Decreto was discriminatory against domestic workers by denying them these rights because they are part of the informal sector of the economy. Therefore, Convenio 189 de la OIT (International Labor Organization, as translated in English) was created on June of 2011at the international Labor Conference in Switzerland. Convenio 189 gives domestic workers labor rights and works to improve their conditions. Since 2011, 25 countries including Italy, Ireland, Germany, Ecuador and the Philippines have ratified this law. However, the current political party in Spain, the People’s Party, has been in power for two terms and this is the only party that is explicitly against the ratification of the Convenio. This is the main issue that my organization, SEDOAC (Servicio Domestico Activo), has been trying to push the government to pass for years. Every year, SEDOAC comes together with other domestic work organizations such as Brujas Migrantes (Migrant Witches) to organize a political discussion and a consecutive festival before this law is revisited by the government. This year, these events took place on June 16th and 18th and the government, once again, voted against el Convenio on June 19th. This was a devastating decision for the thousands of workers in Spain this law could benefit greatly. Nevertheless, SEDOAC is a comprehensive organization whose interest is not only to continue fighting for el Convenio but also to use educative workshops and events to teach domestic migrant women about their rights and, subsequently, to provide a space of empowerment and self-growth.
Sources:
“Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social: Que España firme YA el convenio internacional que protege a las trabajadoras del hogar. @empleogob .” Change.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 June 2017.
Moré, Paloma. “Cuidados a personas mayores en Madrid y París: la trastienda de la investigación.” Sociología del Trabajo 84 (2015): 85-105.
