Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2021, published 110th ILC session (2022)

Migration for Employment Convention (Revised), 1949 (No. 97) - Spain (Ratification: 1967)

The Committee notes the observations of the Trade Union Confederation of Workers’ Commissions (CCOO), the General Union of Workers (UGT) and the Spanish Confederation of Employers’ Organizations (CEOE), communicated with the Government’s report. The Committee notes the corresponding responses of the Government.

Article 6(1)(a) and (b) of the Convention. Equal treatment regarding conditions of work and social security. The Committee takes due note that, in its report, the Government indicates that, under section 5(4) of Royal Decree No. 1620/2011 of 14 November establishing special labour regulations for domestic work, employers have the obligation to inform workers of essential elements of the contract and main conditions of work, where the contract lasts more than 4 weeks (including information on salary, payments in cash, duration and distribution of working hours, remuneration and compensation systems, and the regime of overnight stays where applicable). In addition, the Government also refers to section 2(2) of Royal Decree No. 1659/1998 of 24 July to apply section 8(5) of the Workers’ Statute dealing with information for workers on the main elements of the employment contract, which lists the information that a labour contract should contain. Also, regarding information, the Committee takes note of CCOO’s observation that the Ministry on Inclusion, Social Security and Migration’s website contains no specific guidance for domestic workers, as well as of the Government’s reply indicating that the general information provided is applicable to domestic workers correspondingly.

Regarding effective and accessible complaints mechanisms for domestic workers, the Government indicates that the Labour Inspection is able to access private homes within the limits of the right to inviolability of the home (and, hence, requiring the owner’s consent or a judicial authorization). The Committee notes with interest the Government’s indication that a specific inspection campaign on domestic work was launched in 2021, which addresses informal economy by prioritizing complaints presented and includes technical assistance and sensitization on the regularization of salaries that are below minimum salary rates (and of corresponding contributions to social security schemes). The Committee also observes that the Government indicates it has taken measures to make claim forms available in different languages. The Committee takes due note that the Government also provides data on the inspections carried out in the domestic work sector for the period 2017–20, showing that: (1) the Service on Social Security and Foreigners did 1,072, 952, 956 and 669 inspections in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 respectively, all of them concerning undeclared work; (2) in 2020, 161 inspections carried out by the Service of Labour Relations and 28 inspections carried out by the Occupational Safety and Health Service were originated in workers’ complaints. The Committee notes, however, that such data does not indicate to what extent such claims were presented by migrant domestic workers. The Committee further notes UGT’s observations that measures foreseen to monitor the implementation of Royal Decree 1620/2011, such as an impact evaluation and the creation of a group of experts, have not been undertaken.

The Committee expects that, in applying section 2(2) of Royal Decree No. 1659/1998 and section 5(4) of Royal Decree No. 1620/2011, the Government will continue to take measures so that the relevant information is provided to migrant domestic workers in a manner and language that they understand, and take other necessary and appropriate measures to monitor the implementation of Royal Decree No. 1620/2011 as soon as possible. The Committee also asks the Government:

• (i) to provide information on the implementation of the 2021 labour inspection action campaign on domestic work and the results achieved, and
• (ii) to continue providing statistical information on complaints filed before the Labour Inspection, courts or any other competent authority, in particular those filed by migrant domestic workers, as well as the inspections conducted and sanctions imposed.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.