“Today we are no longer invisible” – UNI launches Care Workers’ Network in Colombia

On 24 July, the National Day of Care Workers in Colombia, UNI Americas launched the Care Workers’ Network of Colombia as part of the Together We Care: Partnerships for Equitable Health System activity. More than 60 workers representing home care workers were at the kick-off ceremony, and they shared their commitment to securing their rights, to raising the visibility of care work and to strengthening their voices in the country. The number of both paid and unpaid care workers in Colombia is substantial — and growing as the population ages.

The network unveiled a Charter of Rights that addresses four key issues: formalization, training, freedom of association and collective bargaining. Workers’ demands around these topics will help them achieve a home care system that guarantees decent working conditions and quality care.

“Today is a day to promote the importance of care work and to recognize that quality care improves our lives, societies and economies. We want to strengthen our network so we are ready to fully participate in the discussion about regulation of the National Care System in the country,” said María Elisa Alfaro, care worker, who’s been taking care of his husband for 6 years along with her job as an art teacher, that they both need to economically subsist. “Our work is important and should be recognized.”

The network will support care worker organizing and will raise the profile of their vital jobs. Like Ms. Alfaro mentioned, one major goal is to improve regulation of care. A law passed last year establishes the rights of people with disabilities and their caregivers. It focuses on training, employment, health, and creates an occupational profile for caregivers, promoting inclusion and comprehensive care with a biopsychosocial and human rights approach. The network will focus on implementing these guarantees so that the needs of home care workers are met.

“We want to be recognized not just as service workers, but as what we are: care workers with rights,” said Doris Mena, a care worker. “Claiming and recognizing care work is fundamental for all those who, most of them women, have dedicated their whole lives to this work without formalization, pay or training.”

The date 24 July (or 24/07) was chosen because care and personal assistance is needed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Just like the need for care is constant, workers are organizing to ensure that their rights and voices are respected at all times as well.

UNI Americas is working along these lines in Colombia and in several countries in the region. “We want to work with unions and governments to create consolidated work structures that guarantee formal jobs with ongoing training for these workers,” said Lucía Lindner, Regional Director of UNI Care. “An important issue we are addressing is gender based violence and harassment in the workplace, as many of these workers are exposed to violence from third parties or within the family. We want the government to provide protection and assurances for this group of workers.”

“We believe that care workers should be respected, valued, have the right to be represented and well paid. On this day, we are showing Colombia why the right to organize in the care sector is key to improving the employment of this workforce and to ensure quality care for all”, she concluded.

Supported by USAID through the Gender Equity and Equality Action Fund, Together We Care is driving structural changes by strengthening collective representation, advancing women’s economic security through bargaining, and promoting safer and violence-free work environments. TWC aims to train and certify health workers in areas such as occupational safety and response to workplace violence, promote organizing, and improve the working and economic conditions of women in this sector.

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