The Republican Committee of Textile, Light, Paper and Related Industries of the Federation of Trade Unions of Kyrgyzstan has been actively working with homeworkers, including artisans, seamstresses, and other categories of workers, for over 10 years.
The committee has made significant progress in promoting the ratification of international labour standards, including ILO Convention No. 177 on Home Work, with 70% of Aydemi Association’s artisans being members of the trade union. The committee’s efforts have also contributed to the ratification of ILO Convention No.190 on the Elimination of Violence and Harassment in the World of Work in February 2024.
The trade union is also involved in the activities of HomeNet Eastern Europe and Central Asia (HNEECA). The former chairman of the trade union, Rysgul Babaeva, played a key role in bringing together homeworkers from Kyrgyzstan with those from Eastern Europe in 2013. The current deputy chairman of the committee, Almash Zharkynbaeva, has maintained close contact with the regional network and local homeworkers over the years, providing training and information to promote government and ILO labour and gender legislation, as well as transitioning from an informal to a formal economy.
After years of advocating for home-based workers’ rights, the trade union decided to join HNEECA, admitting 350 members to the organisation in March 2024.
