PRIME Minister Portia Simpson Miller says her Government is taking the necessary steps to officially ratify Convention 189 of the International Labour Organization (ILO), which seeks to protect the welfare of domestic workers.

The prime minister said recently that Jamaica supports the convention, which is in keeping with the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda. “This important Convention signals a major step towards justice and equity for the estimated 50 to 100 million household workers globally,” the prime minister said.

Simpson Miller made the remarks during her keynote address at the Grace Kennedy/Heather Little-White Household Worker of the Year Awards Ceremony at the Jamaica Pegasus on May 29.

She said that household workers are among Jamaica’s finest and most important workers, adding that they are vital to the process of nation building as they provide the necessary care and support in households, thereby allowing their employers to carry out their various activities.

Addressing the treatment and compensation of household workers, the prime minister noted that the minimum wage is only a reference point for payment and that employers who can pay more should do so.

Simpson Miller, meanwhile, encouraged household workers to work with the Jamaica Household Workers Association to protect their interests, particularly as it relates to poor working conditions, extended working hours and low wages.