Myrtle Witbooi
Myrtle Witbooi | |
|---|---|
 Witbooi at an IDWF meeting in June 2010 | |
| Born | 1947 |
| Died | 2023 |
| Nationality | South African |
| Known for | President of SADSAWU and IDWF |
Myrtle Witbooi (1947–2023) was a South African labour activist. She served as the General Secretary of the South African Domestic Service and Allied Workers Union (SADSAWU). She also served as the first president of the International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF), a membership-based global organization of household and domestic workers. Labor scholars have noted IDWF is the "first international labor federation run by women for work dominated by women."[1][2] In January 2023, she died from cancer.
Career
[edit]In the 1960s, Myrtle began her career as a young domestic worker in apartheid South Africa. With the help of a local journalist, she helped convene the first-ever organisational meeting of domestic workers in Cape Town in 1965.[3] As General Secretary of SADSAWU, she has fought for a national minimum wage increase and compensation for on-the-job injuries for domestic workers.[4] In 2011, Myrtle helped lead the international coalition of domestic workers that secured passage of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention on Decent Work for Domestic Workers (C. 189).[5] The Convention (No. 189) on domestic workers has become the first international labor standard to ensure domestic workers the same basic rights as other workers.[6] As part of SADSAWU, Myrtle played a central role in influencing the ILO Domestic Workers Convention C.189.[7] The convention marked unprecedented involvement of informal women workers in the ILO standard-setting process.[1]
In 2013, Myrtle accepted the George Meany–Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award, which recognizes international leaders and organizations who have overcome significant hurdles to fight for human rights.[8]
In 2015, Myrtle was awarded the 2015 Fairness Award, which honors outstanding leaders who dedicate themselves to bring economic justice, fairness and equality to the poor and marginalized communities.[9][10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Fish, Jennifer (29 July 2014). "Domestic Workers Go Global: The Birth of the International Domestic Workers Federation". New Labor Forum. 23 (3): 76–81. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
- ^ "Why South African domestic workers keep fighting". The South African. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ Press, City (10 December 2014). "Inside Labour: Domestic workers still have a dream". News 24. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ Huizenga, Emily. "Domestic workers push for 'fair wage'". Business Report. Business Report. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ Becker, Jo (19 December 2012). Campaigning for Justice: Human Rights Advocacy in Practice. Stanford University Press. pp. 266–. ISBN 978-0-8047-8438-2.
- ^ International Labor Organization. "'I have dared to demand'". International Labor Organization. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ Romero, Mary (September 2014). When Care Work Goes Global: Locating the Social Relations of Domestic Work. Ashgate Publishing. p. 256. ISBN 9781409439240.
- ^ Connell, Tula. "Domestic Workers Receive Human Rights Award". Solidarity Center. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ Fairness Award. "Fairness Award Honorees". GFI Fairness Award. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
- ^ Fish, Jennifer N. "Global: IDWF President Myrtle Witbooi earns Global Fairness Award". International Domestic Workers Federation. Retrieved 24 December 2015.