Colombian govt mandate bolsters domestic workers’ rights

Domestic workers took a step towards labor equality with a new Colombian government mandate requiring employers to make mandatory social security contributions.

In accordance with the mandate, employers of domestic workers must pay a contribution of four percent of the employee’s monthly salary, which cannot be below the legal minimum wage, to the Family Compensation System (SCF). The SCF provides affiliates with various services, such as housing and unemployment benefits.

The enforcement of the new mandate will be undertaken by the Superintendency of Family Subsidies, which will take steps to enforce compliance.

As part of the social security system, the government requires most formal workers in Colombia to affiliate with private benefits providers, such as “Comfenalco,” which offer reduced rates on health care, credit, and recreation.

“We signed a decree which obligates domestic workers to affiliate… to receive all the benefits,” President Juan Manuel Santos tweeted.

In March, the first domestic laborers union was created for women of Afro-Colombian descent. Maria , a woman who had worked long hours for little pay for five years, founded the Union of Domestic Service Workers with the goal of 

Sources

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