Dear Ms, Dave,

Dear Sisters and brothers of HomeNet International,
It is with great regret that I cannot participate to your second and first in person Congress which is held in Kathmandu, Nepal.

I have a fond memory of my participation in the online Congress in 2021 and I am happy that your movement is getting stronger and more organised.

The adoption of the Constitution with clear regulations, the impulse to national organizing as well as the election of various leadership posts are all steps going in the direction of strengthening the movement as well as strengthening freedom of association.

I am greatly impressed by the reference in the Constitution about the ILO and its instruments, in particular the statement that Home-based workers are entitled to decent working and living conditions as stated by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in its various conventions and recommendations, including ILO Convention 1 71 Recommendation 184, and Recommendation 204, which must be enshrined in national laws and/or policies.

In 2019 the ILO discussed the future of the World of Work, in conjunction with its centenary: little we knew that one year later all over the world we were confined at home and that home-based work would become more relevant than ever.

Unfortunately, Convention 1 77 is still marginally endorsed, but it is encouraging that you will campaign for its ratification and implementation (and very happy that Spain ratified just last year, showing that it is very possible for governments to go ahead).

I encourage your movement - when necessary - to establish strong links with other national and sectoral workers' organizations: it is only through solidarity that a joint common platform of workers' rights can flourish and also the way for creating more impetus towards adoption of progressive legislation for home-based workers.

Sisters and brothers,
Allow me a personal note. In September of this year, I will retire from the ILO as international official, but certainly will continue to follow with great interest your fight for the rights of home-based workers as well as any other instance of justice coming from the labour movement.

I always like to recall that my mother was a home-based seamstress who managed to get her employer paying the social security dues in rural Italy of 1960. Her example shaped my conviction that workers can get Decent Work and social rights if they are clear about their goals and convictions.

I am sure that you will continue this fight with renewed strength after the Congress' deliberations and I look forward to reading about your future success.

In solidarity,

Dear HomeNet International Sisters and Brothers,

With great regret, the IUF is not able to attend in person the 2nd HNI Congress in Kathmandu, Nepal from 25th-28th April 2023, but we are with you in spirit.

The IUF has always been an ally and supporter of the home-based workers movement. We were glad to acknowledge the Founding Congress of HomeNet International in February 2021 and the fact that HNI is getting stronger every year. Indeed, it is only through collective representation and organization that workers – especially the most marginalized and oppressed as home based workers and women workers – raise their voice, get visible, build collective power in trade unions, reverse the power balance, and contribute to economic and social justice.

The ILO Convention on Home Work is a key tool in this struggle. The IUF and its members will keep pushing for its promotion, ratification, and implementation. Through this message, we also wanted to honour Sister Elaben R. Bhatt, the founder of SEWA who passed on November 2, 2022. May she rest in peace and may her legacy and inspiring vision of women empowerment and her fight for women’s rights be disseminated to the whole world.

Numerous global commitments have been made, including the Sustainable Development Goals, to assure decent working conditions, living wages and access to social protection as minimum working life standards for all. For a majority, this is still not the case.

Uniting and joining together, as the HomeNet International for the homebased workers, is an important step to be seen, heard and recognized as well as making decision-makers accountable to the global commitments.