Inclusive Advocacy? Trade-Union Activity in Support of the Rights of Domestic Workers in Continental Europe

This article compares trade-union activity in support of the rights of domestic workers in the Netherlands, Germany and France. Even though trade-union membership among domestic workers is very low, trade unions have taken action to defend the rights of domestic workers in all of these countries. However, such actions have been only partial, and have not comprehensively included the needs and rights of all domestic workers. Comparing trade-union activity shows that actions in support of domestic workers have been encouraged by transnational advocacy in all three countries. While inclusive institutions have facilitated actions in France, in Germany and the Netherlands, trade-union actions have been constrained by the persistently “informal” characteristics of domestic work and by the hesitancy of trade unions to engage comprehensively with the issue of migrants’ rights.