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The Home Work Recommendation 1996, Articles 1-30
The General Conference of the International Labour Organization.
Having been convened at Geneva by the Governing Body of the International Labour
Office, and having met in its Eighty-third Session on 4 June 1996, and
Recalling that many international labour Conventions and Recommendations laying
down standards of general application concerning working conditions are
applicable to homeworkers, and
Noting that the particular conditions characterizing home work make it desirable
to improve the application of those Conventions and Recommendations to
homeworkers, and to supplement them by standards which take into account the
special characteristics of home work and
Having decided upon the adoption of certain proposals with regard to home work,
which is the fourth item on the work Convention of 1996:
Adopts, this twentieth day of June of the year one thousand nine hundred and
ninety-six, the following Recommendation, which may be cited as the Home Work
Recommendation 1996;
1. Definitions and scope of Application
1.For the purposes of this Recommendation
(a) the tem home work” means work carried out by a person, to be referred to as
a homeworkers,
(a) in his or her home or in other premises of his or her own choice, other than
the workplace of the employer;
(ii) for remuneration;
(iii) Which results in a product or service as specified by the employer,
irrespective of who provides the equipment, materials or other inputs used.
Unless this person has the degree of autonomy and of economic independence
necessary to be considered an independent worker under national laws,
regulations or court decisions;
(b) persons with employee status do not become homeworkers within the meaning of
this Recommendation simply by occasionally performing their work as employees at
home, rather than at their usual workplaces;
(c) the them “employer” means a person, natural or legal, who, either directly
or though an intermediary, whether or not intermediaries are provided for in
national legislation, gives out home work in pursuance of his or her business
activity.
2. This Recommendation applies to all persons carrying out home work within the
meaning of Paragraph 1.
II General Provisions
2. (1) Each Member should, according to national law and practice, designate an
authority or authorities entrusted with the formulation and implementation of
the national policy on home work referred to in Article 3 of the Convention.
(2) As far as possible, use should be made of tripartite bodies or organization
and implementation of this national policy.
(3) In the absence of organizations concerned with homeworkers or organization
of employers of in subparagraph (1) should make suitable arrangements to permit
these workers and employers to express their opinions on this measures adopted
to implement it.
3. Detailed information, including data classified according to sex, on the
extent and characteristics of home work should be compiled and kept up date to
serve as a basis for the national policy on home work and for the measures
adopted to implement it this information should be published and made publicly
available.
4. (1) A homeworker should be kept informed of his or her specific conditions of
employment in writing or in any other appropriate manner consistent with
national law and practice.
(2) This information should include, in particular.
(a) the name and address of the employer and the intermediary, if any;
(b) the scale or rate of remuneration and the methods of calculation; and
(c) the type of work to be performed.
III Supervision of Home Work
5. The Competent authority at the national level and, where appropriate, at the
regional, sectoral or local levels, should provide for registration of employers
of homeworkers and of any intermediaries used by such employers For this
purpose, such authority should specify the information employers should submit
or keep at the authority’s disposal.
6. (1) Employers should be required to notify the competent authority when they
give out home work for the first time.
(2) Employers should keep a register of all homeworkers, classified according to
sex, to whom they give work.
(3) Employers should also keep a record of work assigned to a homeworker, which
shows.
(a) the time allocated;
(b) the rate of remuneration
(c) costs incurred, if any, by the homeworker and the amount reimbursed in
respect of them;
(d) any deductions made in accordance with national laws and regulations; and
(e) the gross remuneration due and the net remuneration paid, together with the
date of payment.
(f)
(4) A copy of the record referred to in subparagraph (3) should be provided to
the homeworker.
7. In so far as it is compatible with national law and practice concerning
respect for privacy, labour inspectors or other officials entrusted with
enforcing provisions applicable to home work should be allowed to enter the
parts of the home or other private premises in which the work is carried out.
8. In cases of serious or repeated violations of the laws and regulations
applicable to home work, appropriate measures should be taken, including the
possible prohibition of giving out home work, in accordance with national law
and practice.
IV Minimum Age
10 National laws and regulations concerning minimum age for admission to
employment or work should apply to home work
V The Rights to Organize and To Bargain Collectively
11 Legislative or administrative restrictions or other obstacles to:
a. the exercise of the right of homeworkers to establish their own organizations
or to join the workers’ organization of their own choice and to participate in
the activities of such organizations; and
b. the exercise of the right of organizations of homeworkers to join trade union
federation or confederations,
Should be identified and eliminated.
12. Measures should be taken to encourage collective bargaining ad a means of
determining the terms and conditions of work of homeworkers.
VI. Remuneration
13. Minimum rates of wages should be fixed for homework in, accordance with
national law and practice.
14. (1) Rates of remuneration of homeworkers should be fixed preferably by
collective bargaining, or in its absence, by
(a) decisions of the competent authority, after consulting the most
representative organizations of employers and of workers as well as organization
concerned with homeworkers and those of employers of homeworkers, or where the
latter organization do not exist, representative of homeworkers and of employers
of homeworkers; or
(b) other appropriate wage-fixing machinery at the national, sectoral or local
levels.
(2) Where rates of remuneration are not fixed by one of the means in
subparagraph (1) above, they should be fixed by agreement between the homeworker
and the employers.
15. For specified work paid by the piece, the rate of remuneration of a
homeworker should be comparable to that employer, or if there is no such worker,
in another enterprise in the branch of activity and region concerned.
16. Homeworkers should receive compensation for:
(a) costs incurred in connection with their work, such as those relating to the
use of energy and water, communications and maintenance of machinery and
equipment; and
(b) time spent in maintaining machinery and equipment, changing tools, sorting,
unpacking and packing, and other such operations.
17. (1) National laws and regulations concerning the protection of wages should
apply to homeworkers.
(2) National laws and regulation should ensure that pre-established criteria are
set for dedications and should protect homeworkers against unjustified
dedications for defective work or spoilt materials.
(3) Homeworkers should be paid either on delivery of each completed work
assignment or at regular intervals of not more than one month.
18. Where an intermediary is used, the intermediary and the employers should be
made jointly and severally liable for payment of the remuneration due to
homeworkers, in accordance with national law and practice.
VII. Occupational Safety and Health.
19. The competent authority should ensure the dissemination of guidelines
concerning the safety and health regulation and precautions that and health
regulations and precautions that employers and homeworkers are to observe Where
practicable, these guidelines should be translated into language understood by
homeworkers.
20. Employers should be required to:
(a) inform homeworkers of any hazards that are known or ought to be known to the
employers associated with are work given to then and of the precautions to be
taken, and provide them, where appropriate, with the necessary training.
(b) ensure that machinery, tools or other equipment provided of homework are
equipped with appropriate safety device and take reasonable steps to ensure that
they are properly maintained; and
(c) Provide homeworkers free of charge with any necessary personal protective
equipment.
21. Homeworkers should required to:
(a) comply with prescribed safety and health measures;
(b) take reasonable care for their own safety and health that of other persons
who be affected by their acts or omissions at work, including the proper use of
materials, machinery, tools and other equipment placed at their disposal.
22. (1) A homeworkers who refuses to carry out work which he or she has
reasonable justification to believe presents an imminent and serious danger to
his or her safety or health should be protected from undue consequences in a
manner consistent with national conditions and practice The homeworker should
report the situation to the employer without delay.
(2) In the event of an imminent and serious danger to the safety or health of a
homeworker, his or her family or the public, as determined by a labour inspector
or other public safety official, the continuation of home work should be
prohibited until appropriate measures have been taken to remedy the situation.
VIII. Hours of Work, Rest Periods and Leave
23. A deadline to complete a work assignment should not deprive a homeworker of
the possibility to have daily and weekly rest comparable to that enjoyed by
other workers.
24. National laws and regulations should establish the conditions under which
homeworkers should be entitled to benefit, as other workers, from paid public
holiday, annual holidays with pay and paid sick leave.
IX. Social Security and Maternity Protection
25. Homeworkers should benefit from social security protection. This could be
done by:
(a) extending existing social security provisions to homeworkers;
(b) adapting social security schemes to cover homeworkers; or
(c) developing special schemes or funds for homeworkers.
26. National laws and regulations in the field of maternity protection should
apply to homeworkers.
X. Protection in Case of Termination of Employment
27. Homeworkers should benefit from the same protection as that provided to
other workers with respect to termination of employment.
XI. Resolution of Disputes
28. The competent authority should ensure that there are mechanisms for the
resolution of disputes between homeworker and an employers or any intermediary
used by the employer.
XII. Programmes Related to Home Work
29. (1) Each member should, in cooperation with organization of employers and
workers, promote and support programmes which
(a) inform homeworkers of their rights and the kinds of assistance available to
them;
(b) raise awareness of home-work-related issues among employers’ and workers’
organizations, non-governmental organizations and the public at large;
(c) facilitate the organization of homeworkers in organizations of their own
choosing, including cooperatives;
(d) Provide training to improve homeworkers’ skills (including non-traditional
skills, leadership and negotiating skills), productivity, employment
opportunities and income-earning capacity;
(e) Provide training which is carried out as close as practicable to the
workers’ homes and does not require unnecessary formal qualifications
(f) improve homeworkers’ safety and health such as by facilitating their access
to equipment materials that are safe and of good quality;
(g) facilitate the creation of centres and network for homeworkers in order to
provide them with information and services and reduce their isolation;
(h) facilitate access to credit, improved housing and childcare; and
(i) promote recognition of home work as valid work experience
(2) Access to these programmes should be ensured to rural homeworkers.
(3) Specific programmes should be adopted to eliminate child labour in home
work.
30 Where practicable, information concerning the rights and protection of
homeworkers and protection of homeworkers and the obligations of employers
towards homeworkers, as well as the programmes referred to in Paragraph 29,
should be provided in languages understood by homeworkers. |
