22. Calls on the Council, Commission, and the UN Secretary General to in all reporting on peace and
security related initiatives include a chapter covering gender related aspects;
*
**
23. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, and the UN Secre-
tary General.
13. Regulating domestic help
A5-0301/2000
European Parliament resolution on regulating domestic help in the informal sector (2000/
2021(INI))
The European Parliament,
Wdash having regard to the fifth indent of Article 137(1) of the Treaty establishing the European Community,Wdash having regard to ILO Convention C177 on Home Work,Wdash having regard to the International Labour Office’s International Standard Classification of Occupations,
ISCO-88,
Wdash having regard to its resolution of4 November 1999 (
1) on the Commission’s draft Joint Employment
Report 1999 (SEC(1999) 1386 Wdash C5-0215/1999),
Wdash having regard to its resolution of21 September 2000 (2) on the Commission Communication on
undeclared work (COM(1998) 219 Wdash C5-0566/1998 Wdash 1998/2082(COS),
Wdash having regard to Rule 163 ofits Rules ofProcedure,Wdash having regard to the report ofthe Committee on Women’s Rights and Equal Opportunities (A5-0301/
2000),
A. whereas ‘domestic help’ is a concept that has not been defined,
B. whereas the proportion ofwomen in paid employment is constantly increasing,
C. whereas it is very difficult to ascertain the extent of the black economy and of undeclared domestic
work,
D. whereas undeclared work has important repercussions on national budgets and residents’ incomes,E. whereas domestic work, by its very nature, is more likely to involve working flexible or split time-
tables for a number of different employers while earning minimal salary, which is generally unde-clared,
F. having regard to the number of families in which both parents work full time,G. having regard to the increasing number ofsingle-parent f amilies,H. whereas there has been a considerable increase in demand for domestic help as a result of changes in
family circumstances, work circumstances, the way time is spent and the interests of both men andwomen,
(1) OJ C 158, 7.6.2000, p. 43.
(2) See minutes ofthe sitting, Part II, Item 13.13.8.2001 EN C 228/193 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday30November2000
I. whereas the demand for such help continues to increase, as does the extent of undeclared working,
J. whereas there has been an increase in the number ofelderly people living alone and needing domestic
help,
K. having regard to the difference in, or indeed lack of, provisions to regulate domestic work in some
Member States,
L. whereas, even in diplomatic missions, employers regularly abuse their status vis-à-vis their employees,
M. whereas there is a need to establish a special legal framework which affords all domestic employees
the protection oflabour legislation and the subjective rights deriving theref rom,
N. having regard to the commendable efforts made by certain Member States to set up local or regional
organisations to regulate the supply and demand ofdomestic help,
O. having regard to the results ofthe introduction ofservice employment cheques in France and Belgium,
P. having regard to the large number off emale migrant workers,Q. whereas the majority off emale migrant workers are employed as domestic workers,
1. Calls for a European definition of domestic work to be drawn up;
2. Calls on the Member States to draw up and regularly update statistics on undeclared domestic work
with a view to obtaining a more accurate picture ofthe scale ofthe problem;
3. Calls on the Member States to conduct a more detailed study ofundeclared domestic work and ofits
costs to and repercussions on national budgets, the employment market and private individuals;
4. Calls for work of this kind to be recognised as an occupation in its own right;5. Takes the view that the domestic work sector in principle falls within the scope of existing directives
on employment and occupations and should also be covered by future guidelines Wdash to be included in the
guidelines on employment Wdash with a view to eventually establishing European rules on the social rights ofworkers, the adjustment ofsupply and demand in the sector, access to training and co-f unding ofcontri-butions by the public authorities;
6. Calls for due account to be taken, when drawing up directives and other legislation, of the specific
work situations and employment relationships ofdomestic workers, including their isolation and theiratypical relationship with their employer(s);
7. Calls on the Member States to involve the social partners closely in the implementation ofthe guide-
lines for the domestic work sector;
8. To improve the image and the status ofthe occupation ofdomestic work, recommends that the
Member States introduce the following measures:
Wdash a definition of the tasks performed, and clear provisions laying down the maximum number of hours
to be worked and the limits thereon,
Wdash specific and comprehensive social security cover for persons pursuing this occupation, which should
take account ofthe wide range and potential hazards ofthe tasks involved and entitle the worker tosocial insurance cover and other rights, including a decent pension on retirement,C 228/194 EN 13.8.2001 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday30November2000
Wdash the creation of conditions for ensuring quality jobs by organising professional training courses,
Wdash the setting up ofreception f acilities to encourage the integration ofsuch workers into society,
Wdash awareness raising and information campaigns for employers and employees concerning their rights
and duties;
9. Recommends, as a way ofstructuring the organisation ofthe market f or paid domestic work, that
the Member States introduce a framework by means of, for example, businesses providing domestic ser-vices, NGOs and local employment agencies;
10. To combat the increasing amount ofundeclared work in this sector, calls f or the introduction ofthe
following measures at national level:
Wdash adjustment ofprices and costs to take account ofindividuals’ f inancial resources,
Wdash simplification of administrative formalities with regard to the requirement for private employers to
declare their employees,
Wdash making domestic services tax-deductible to reduce the difference in cost between employing unde-
clared and declared workers;
11. Stresses the importance ofintroducing in all the Member States the principle ofdeclaring all
employment relationships;
12. Stresses the importance ofmaking both employees and employers aware oftheir rights and obliga-
tions under their employment relationship;
13. Stresses the importance ofdeveloping the social dialogue at sectoral level, as this is the negotiating
forum that is closest to the problem and thus most likely to generate proposals to combat undeclaredwork and create new long-term employment; stresses also the need to bring domestic work within thescope ofthe general f ramework oflabour legislation and associated collective agreements;
14. Recommends that specialised reception centres be set up for female migrant workers to provide the
psychological and psychiatric help required by migrant women who have suffered mental or physical orsexual abuse and any assistance needed to draw up applications to regularise their situation ifthey havetemporary residence permits, as well as help with legal action against persons who have exposed suchwomen to sexual and psychological oppression;
15. Also calls for such reception centres to distribute information leaflets to provide them with all the
information and addresses they require in relation to their residence in the Member State;
16. Considers that, in the context ofrecognising domestic work as an occupation, f emale migrant work-
ers should be eligible for regular work permits;
17. Recommends that Member States’ relevant national bodies consider in detail the specific situation of
migrants as domestic employees;
18. Calls on Member States to link the issue of visas for domestic employees working for diplomats to a
guaranteed minimum level ofworking conditions;
19. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments
and parliaments ofthe Member States, the social partners and the International Labour Organisation.13.8.2001 EN C 228/195 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday30November2000