On 10 June 2015, the Government of Belgium deposited with the International Labour Office the instruments of ratification of the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983 (No. 159) and the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189).

With the registration of the ratification of Conventions Nos. 159 and 189, Belgium will have ratified 105 international labour Conventions in addition to one Protocol. This ranks Belgium 7th among the list of countries with the highest number of ratifications

In receiving the instruments of ratification of Conventions Nos. 159 and 189 by Belgium, the Director General of the ILO, Mr Guy Ryder, stated: “With the ratification of Belgium, the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983 (No. 159), will have been ratified by 83 member States. Convention No. 159 requires Members to implement a national policy on vocational rehabilitation and employment for people with disabilities aimed at promoting employment opportunities for people with disabilities in the labour market. Concerning the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189) Belgium is the 20th ILO member State and the sixth European country to ratify it. Convention No. 189 seeks to improve the working and living conditions of tens of millions of domestic workers worldwide and offers long overdue protection to this shadow female-dominated workforce often excluded from national labour laws, and therefore deprived from basic rights that the majority of workers enjoy. The instrument not only guarantees the fundamental principles and rights at work of domestic workers but also ensures the equal treatment between domestic workers and workers generally in relation to normal hours of work, overtime compensation, periods of daily and weekly rest and paid annual leave, occupational safety and health and social security, including maternity protection.

These two ratifications will no doubt support the momentum for the ratification and effective implementation of Convention Nos. 159 and 189 which seek to provide protection for these two categories of vulnerable workers.

More information on Convention No. 189 and ILO’s work on domestic workers may be found at /global/topics/domestic-workers/lang--en/index.htm