Coronavirus: What about domestic workers’ rights?
While domestic workers are still waiting for the judgment of the Constitutional Court to confirm a high court ruling regarding their rights to claim for damages while on duty, they are not yet covered if they are infected with Coronavirus while on duty.
Pinky Mashiane, president of United Domestic Workers of South Africa (UDWOSA) said as we are treading new waters with the lockdown and with most domestic workers who will not be able to work, they remain extremely vulnerable as there are no official measures in place to protect domestic workers at this stage.
“Some employers will pay their domestic workers’ medical bills if they get infected, but others are expected to dispute that they had contracted the virus while on duty. This is especially in light of them having to travel on public transport to work.”
She urged employers to place their domestic workers on paid leave during the lockdown period.
“Workers depend on their jobs to provide for their families. They obviously cannot work from home and many are experiencing uncertainty about their jobs.”
Those whose employees have registered them for UIF benefits will be able to claim if they lose out on their salaries. But Mashiane said the problem is that many employers have not yet registered their workers.
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