The ILO defines a cooperative as “an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise” (The ILO Promotion of Cooperatives Recommendation, 2002 No. 193). Cooperatives can provide a way out of precarious and informal working arrangements.

By forming cooperative enterprises, domestic workers can access a practical and relevant model for domestic workers to improve their livelihoods and conditions of work. Cooperatives offer domestic workers, who often experience barriers to collective bargaining, a collective voice to advocate for their rights with employers and policy makers. This can make it easier to achieve decent working conditions, fair levels of remuneration, as well as access to services, trainings and education, housing, and financial services as well as care services for their own families.

Key Resources:

• Cooperating out of isolation: domestic workers’ cooperatives (Brief)
• Domestic workers in Trinidad and Tobago develop a business plan for their cooperative
• For many domestic workers, coops hold the key to decent work (ILO blog)
• Formalizing informal employment of domestic workers through cooperatives in Trinidad & Tobago (Workshop)
• Cooperating out of isolation: The case of migrant domestic workers in Lebanon, Jordan and Kuwait (Working paper)
• Providing care through cooperatives 2: Literature review and case studies
• Providing care through cooperatives 1: Survey and interview findings
• A first step toward strengthening domestic workers’ cooperatives in Trinidad and Tobago