{"id":13938,"date":"2024-05-22T15:00:05","date_gmt":"2024-05-22T13:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniglobalunion.org\/?post_type=news&p=13938"},"modified":"2024-05-22T13:49:51","modified_gmt":"2024-05-22T11:49:51","slug":"largest-ever-survey-finds-low-pay-makes-europes-domestic-and-home-care-sector-unsustainable","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/uniglobalunion.org\/news\/largest-ever-survey-finds-low-pay-makes-europes-domestic-and-home-care-sector-unsustainable\/","title":{"rendered":"Largest-ever survey finds low pay makes Europe\u2019s domestic and home care sector \u201cunsustainable\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Working conditions of domestic and home care workers across Europe are not sustainable, according to a new Europe-wide survey<\/a> released today. Most surveyed workers (56.9 per cent) said<\/strong> they will be unable to work in their job until retirement age<\/strong>, while 59.9 per cent of those surveyed <\/strong>\u2013 96 per cent of which are women \u2013 said they have considered leaving the sector in the past three years<\/strong>, two-thirds of them (67.5 per cent) because of low pay.<\/p>\r\n

As a worker from Slovakia testified: \u201cYou will only crawl to retirement with burnout. It’s a shame because I like this job, but after 18 years, enough is enough. I’m on my way out.\u201d That is particularly worrying given Europe\u2019s demographic crisis, with the ratio of the population over 65 projected to increase from one fifth to one third by 2050.<\/p>\r\n

The survey<\/a> suggests that social dialogue and collective bargaining at the European level need to be strengthened<\/strong> for working conditions and quality care as well as domestic services to improve.<\/p>\r\n

The \u201cPHS Employment Monitor\u201d survey<\/strong><\/a> refers to Personal & Household Services (PHS) workers, the official term used by the European Commission. It is the largest-ever survey produced in Europe in the PHS sectors. Jointly commissioned by social partners, European trade union federations UNI Europa and EFFAT and employer organisations EFFE and EFSI, the survey collected the responses of more than 6,500 PHS workers, employers, and service users from 26 countries<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n

The results point to an ongoing and serious crisis of labour shortages and turnover in a sector that accounts for an estimated 4 per cent of total employment in the EU<\/strong>. Workers, employers, and service users or users-employers alike see the sector as undervalued, in terms of perception, pay, and public funding. As a PHS employer in France testified: \u201cThe salary is not attractive, they do not want to work in this sector or when they work there, it is not the priority.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

The results also underline the important role of users-employers within the PHS sectors. Most of them believe they would benefit from representation by an employer\u2019s organisation<\/strong> that could negotiate minimum standards in the sector with trade unions. Moreover, more than half (60.8 per cent) of those employers surveyed whose workforces are not covered by a collective bargaining agreement, say they are open to signing a collective agreement<\/strong>. The majority of PHS users who responded to the survey said they would prefer to use a company or organisation that has a collective agreement with trade unions governing the working conditions of PHS workers in their homes.<\/p>\r\n

The survey shows that workers, employers, and many service users, users-employers agree that the PHS sectors lack the public and institutional recognition <\/strong>to match their importance and contribution to society, thus exacerbating the low pay and poor conditions that drive workers to look elsewhere. That is in line with PHS social partners\u2019 demands in their joint reaction<\/a> to the European Care strategy. The lack of recognition is also deeply linked to a lack of public investment in the sector.<\/p>\r\n

In this context, trade unions and employers\u2019 organisations engaged in social dialogue in the PHS sectors can have a crucial role: <\/strong>the results of the survey show that there is significant room for improvement through collective bargaining at all levels<\/strong>. It outlines further solutions ranging from the formalisation of the sector to educational efforts to improve the image of PHS work for workers and users, to increased state funding to resolve the tension between high prices and low wages in the sector, and to overall improved working and living conditions.<\/p>\r\n

Other key findings include:<\/p>\r\n