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Domestic Services in a ”Country of Equality”

Domestic Services in a ”Country of Equality”. Catharina Calleman Department of Law Umeå university Umeå, Sweden catharina.calleman@jus.umu.se. ”Do your own cleaning!”.

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Domestic Services in a ”Country of Equality”

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  1. Domestic Services in a ”Country of Equality” Catharina Calleman Department of Law Umeå university Umeå, Sweden catharina.calleman@jus.umu.se

  2. ”Do your own cleaning!” • When paid domestic services were disappearing in the 1960’s, this was widely considered important from an equality perspective Sidfot

  3. Today however Domestic services are increasing because of • increasing wage differentials • cuts in public services • the Free Movement of workers within the EU • unemployment • tax reductions for buyers of domestic services Sidfot

  4. …in a context where …There are few social norms for the unequal and intimate relationship …Employment regulation is not known …There is no official statistics on domestic work no trade union for domestics employed in the household no legislation on minimum wage Sidfot

  5. Mainly three legal forms for domestic services Employment in Home-Service Companies Self-employment Employment in private homes Sidfot

  6. Employment in companies General employment law is applicable (with a few exceptions) Low wages Very high percentage of immigrant/foreign women Extremely low unionization Sidfot

  7. Self-employment The contract between the parties governs the relationship between two ”equal parties” (Contract Law) High percentage of immigrant/foreign women Sidfot

  8. Employment directly in private homes Regulation: The Domestic Work Act: • Long working hours • Very weak employment protection • No inspection Very high percentage of immigrant/foreign women Sidfot

  9. Problems arise in relation to some ILO issues Minimum wage legislation? No! Right to explicit employement agreement? No! Right of association? Yes, but no trade union! =No collective agreement on minimum wages Protection for migrant domestics? No! Sidfot

  10. Tax reduction for domestic services (2007). Purposes: • Create new jobs • Turn undeclared work into declared work • Gender equality: ”make it possible for women and men to combine their working life and family life on equal conditions” • (No discussions on working conditions) Sidfot

  11. Reduction • 50 per cent of costs for domestic services are deducted from the buyer’s taxes • Maximum 50 000 SEK reduction = 7,000 Can $/year Sidfot

  12. Requirement now: Seller of services must pay Business tax Employment directly in the household is not entitled to reductions Sidfot

  13. Extensions (future?) Employers’ fees have been abolished from employment directly in the household Proposition to include also employment directly in the household Sidfot

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