Decent work for domestic workers takes centre stage at regional exchange in Yerevan

Decent work for domestic workers takes centre stage at regional exchange in Yerevan

Representatives from Armenia and Georgia met in Yerevan to share experiences and identify policy pathways to strengthen rights, representation and protection for domestic workers.

2 April 2026

YEREVAN (ILO News) - Representatives of the International Labour Organization (ILO) joined regional and international partners in a two-day exchange on "Decent Work for Domestic Workers: Unionization and Policy Pathways" on 30-31 March 2026, highlighting the need to strengthen rights, representation and protection for domestic workers across the South Caucasus.

Organized by UN Women, the event brought together stakeholders from Armenia and Georgia, including trade unions, employers' organizations, civil society and international partners. The exchange aimed to foster dialogue, share good practices and identify joint strategies to advance decent work and formalization pathways for domestic workers, most of whom are women and remain in informal and vulnerable employment.

In her opening remarks, Nune Hovhannisyan, ILO National Coordinator, stressed that domestic work is essential to economies, yet remains largely invisible and unprotected. She highlighted that many domestic workers lack employment contracts, fair wages, access to labour and social protection as well as the right to organize, underscoring the importance of ratification and application of the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189).

ILO experts contributed to the discussions. Claire Hobden, Technical Specialist on Domestic and other Vulnerable Workers (ILO Inclusive Labour Markets, Labour Relations and Working Conditions Branch), shared international good practices on protecting the rights of domestic workers, emphasizing the role of labour standards, formalization of employment and inclusive policy frameworks.

In Armenia, recent progress has also been made in strengthening workers' representation. With support from the ILO, the "INKD" ("Yourself") trade union of informal workers was established under the Confederation of Trade Unions of Armenia (CTUA), the first initiative of its kind to organize and represent domestic and informal workers, providing them with a collective voice, access to legal advice and support in engaging with employers.

Participants from Georgia shared experiences in mobilizing domestic workers through associations and unions, offering valuable lessons for strengthening organizing efforts and policy development in Armenia.

The discussions reaffirmed that advancing decent work for domestic workers is both a labour rights and gender equality priority. Strengthening legal frameworks, expanding social and labour protection and supporting workers' organizations were identified as key next steps.

The ILO called for ratification of Convention No. 189 by Armenia and reiterated its commitment to supporting national tripartite constituents in aligning national legislation and policies with international labour standards and ensuring that domestic work is recognized in legislation and rights of domestic workers and employers are protected.