Law
Limits Daily Working Hours Of
Domestic Employees To Eight
Legislators in second and final
voting reforms to the Código de
Trabajo, approving the Ley de
Trabajo Doméstico Remuneradol, which
changes the daily working hours of a
"empleada domestica" (domestic
employee or maid) from 12 hours to
8. For evening work, the work day is
6.
The new law also guarantees domestic
workers that the boss provide work
place accident risk insurance as
well as pay their Seguro Social,
more commonly known as the Caja
(Social Security) and be paid the
minimum wage set out by law.
The law was project by Rina
Contreras of the PUSC and long
forgot by fellow legislators until
revived by legisltors Carlos
Gutiérrez of the Movimiento
Libertario.
The objective of the Contreras
proposal was to end "slavery of
domestic employees".
The law affects some 120.000 workers
who earn their daily living by
cleaning people's homes and offices,
in many cases having to work under
conditions similar to slavery.
The new law guarantees domestic
workers a decent salary, vacation,
one day off a week, access to state
medical care and a pension, equal to
any other type of employee.
The proposal received approval in
first voting in November 2008 and
got buried under the piles of
projects more important to the Poder
Ejecutivo (Executive branch of the
government).
The Ley de Trabajo Doméstico
Remunerado closes the gap on the
subject of labour and human rights,
according to legislator Ana Elena
Chacón, of the Partido Unidad Social
Cristiana (PUSC).
The law also prohibits the
employment of those under the age of
15. |
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