In a keynote address to the International Labour Organization's (ILO) 100th labor conference, German Chancellor Angela Merkel lent her support to the United Nations' labor agency's proposal for a treaty that would give better protection to domestic workers around the world.

The treaty would be aimed at increasing the rights of domestic workers - such as maids, cooks, or nannies - giving them increased measures of labor and social protection. The ILO estimates there are an estimated 52.6 million domestic workers worldwide.

"This is an area that has been very much in the shadow of official employment", Merkel said Tuesday in Geneva. "It's so important that standards are set that make it possible to respect human dignity and decent labour standards in this area."

Germany as an example

Merkel told delegates at the ILO's headquarters in Geneva that cooperation between governments and global financial and social institutions needs to be strengthened, because social justice is linked to economic development.

She cited Germany as an example for the importance of this link, saying that it was key for economic recovery in her country in 2009, when Germany's economy contracted by almost 5 percent. In response, the government introduced a short-term job-sharing scheme in which employers agreed to retain their workers in return for employees accepting shorter working hours and a reduction in wages.

"What was very clear was that this bond between both sides of industry, between employers and employees, should not be lost," she said.

However, Merkel also pointed out that there was a need for a strong social bond between employers and employees in periods of strong economic performance, not just in times of economic downturn.

"The lesson to the world from the crisis should be more investment in social partnerships during periods of growth in order to establish resilient partnerships that can survive times of crisis," Merkel said.

Pact for employment

Raymond Torres, the Director of the International Institute for Labor Studies at the ILO, said Merkel drew some interesting parallels between history and today's situation in terms of socio-economic development.

"She reminded the conference that social justice and social development are very important, and that labor is not a commodity." Torres said.

Merkel ended her speech by turning her attention to the turbulent events in Tunisia, Syria and Yemen. She observed that one of the main triggers of the so-called Arab Spring was the high level of youth unemployment.

She said Germany is committed to helping these young people with the government's Pact for Employment. This aims to train as many young people as possible in countries with growing democracies to enable them to acquire the skills they need to find employment.

Author: Lisa Schlein, Matt Zuvela (AFP, dpa)
Editor: Susan Houlton