Migrant Domestic workers in the UK are  now struggling in order to get ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain). Since November 2013,  Migrants Domestic workers, who entered the UK before April 12 2012 and eligible for settlement after 5 years have been living legally in the UK, they have to prove their knowledge of English, they need to pass ESOL B1 entry level 3 (writing, reading, speaking and listening), and Life in The UK test. In term of life in the UK test they have to know how to use the computer because the test is done via computer and held at the Test Centres under the supervision of the UKBA. It is very difficult for those who are in beginner both English and IT, they have to study hard, specially those who works as full time domestic workers , some of them are passed and some are failed, those who are failed they have to do the test again until passed. The cost for the tests are expensive between £250- £300 for ESOL B1 and £50 for Life in the UK, if they failed they lose their money and they have to pay again to do another test.
Many of migrants are not aware about this change, the reasons could be the condition of their work, lack of the information about immigration rules changes or updates. And the negative impact of all these for migrants is they have to renew their one year visa even they have lived for more then 5 years legally in the UK. for more information click the link below
https://www.gov.uk/domestic-workers-in-a-private-household-visa/domestic-workers-who-applied-before-5-april-2012

And here we are J4DW (Justice 4 Domestic Workers) group in The UK provides ESOL classes and  IT classes to help practise life in the UK test and also ESOL B1 classes under supervisor from Action Acton, and we have started this course since February 2014.
here are some of the pictures during the classes;

Live in the UK practise with Serena Lee

ESOL B1 with Elijah

Current course for Justice 4 Domestic Workers and Unite the Union members (Advance)
Health and safety course for 6 consecutive Sundays starts 2nd November - 7th December 2014.

Domestic workers in the UK are not covered by HASAWA (Health and Safety At Work Act) as The HASAWA says in the section 51 Excludes domestic workers from HASAWA and its provisions and The health and safety law has became an obstacle or an excuse of government refusal to ratify our domestic workers convention 189.
The purpose of our health and safety course not just to arm us with knowledge and skills but also to campaign forward.

J4DW in Health and Safety course with Tutor Makeba Adero

On the 15th of June is  Justice 4 Domestic Workers group's day of celebration, We celebrated in recognition and respect of all Domestic workers around the world who are 80% are women, solidarity and Happy International Domestic Workers' day. We are all aware what happened to migrants Domestic Workers in The UK, that why We together with Unite the Union, TUC, Show room, Anti Raids, Kalayaan, MP Fiona Mactaggart and other supporters had succeed gathered in front of the House of Lords, UK parliament building, opposed  The  government's changes against domestic workers visa, and called upon the UK government to end the SLAVERY, to ratify and implement the ILO Convention 189 decent work for Domestic workers.
Since 6 April 2012 the government has removed the basic right of domestic workers to change the employer, the government has  removed domestic workers visa. We are caged in a system that allows the employer to abuse and exploit us even more, Domestic workers are the most vulnerable workers, we need more protection, help and supports, We need justice, We need back our rights NO TO SLAVERY WE ARE WORKERS!!!!
Below are some of the pictures during the rally

Philippines' dance

Domestic workers' Graffity

With  the MP Fiona Mactaggart

                                                                                

JUSTICE 4 DOMESTIC WORKERS, UK "HAPPY INTERNATIONAL DOMESTIC WORKERS' DAY"

Domestic Workers Rally to oppose The return to slavery in The UK

WHEN : 2pm-5pm Sunday 15 June 2014
WHERE: Old Palace Yard Westminster, SW1

Migrant domestic workers will be gathering at Old Palace Yard, Westminster this Sunday June 15th 2014 to demonstrate against the government's changes to the domestic workers visa.

Diana Holland, Unite assistant general secretary, said "Justice for migrant domestic workers can not be swept  under the carpet by this government. they have reintroduced Modern day slavery and Unite and Others are absolutely committed to ending it and reinstating the Overseas Domestic Workers Visa"

http://www.unitetheunion.org/news/domestic-workers-rally-to-oppose-the-return-to-slavery-in-the-uk/

Welcome back to Our Blog

Hello everyone,,,,,How are you? We hope all of you are safe and sound. :)
Finally we back to our blog after absent more then a year, we have missed to upload in this our blog so many activities and events throughout the past year such as attend the EU parliament, workshops with the show room,  ILO Domestic Workers Convention 189 workshop, One Billion Rising, anniversary, campaign, classes etc.We will upload the pictures regarding the above activities and events soon.
 The upcoming event is to celebrate The International Domestic Workers day which will be after tomorrow Sunday June 15th, 2014.  The actual International Domestic Workers day is on June 16th, but we celebrate it tomorrow on Sunday  because that is the only our day off.

Work Like This: A public discussion around precarious labour, visibility and domestic work at Tate Modern

Andrea Francke                                                                                                    Andrea Francke was born in Peru and is currently based in London. She is currently developing two main research projects. Invisible spaces of parenthood: A collection of pragmatic propositions for a better future explores issues surrounding childcare in collaboration with local nurseries, childminders, children’s centres and parent groups. She shared about her experience during the workshop with J4DW at the Showroom and was so touch with the experiences of shared by members of J4DW. 

Marissa Begonia, Justice 4 Domestic Workers

discussed briefly all the workshops with Tate Modern, The Showroom, Mathias of FNV, ASK!, Werker Magazine. How the collaboration project help improve confidence of J4DW members and create their own artistic ARTS creation to express their stories and realisation of valuing the unwanted things around the household. The project also help in making Domestic Work visible in British Society and will contribute to the current campaign to restore the domestic worker visa with rights.

Visual artist Marc Roig Blesa and Graphic designer Rogier Delfos

Werker Magazine is a contextual publication about photography and labour that inquires into the possibility of formulating a contemporary representation of work. 

The Audience

The Workshop on WerKer Magazine

Choosing Category

Nora Razian (left) of Tate Modern

Louise Shelley (pointing picture) of the Showroom

Domestic workers use arts to voice rights in Europe

Dubbed as “Work Like This”, the event featured artists and activists working on projects about domestic work, highlighting a mutual struggle for recognition and visibility in wider society.

“It was interesting to look at how different artists take up this idea of invisibility and visibility, and work in a way that is parallel to the work that Justice 4 Domestic Workers is doing,” explained Nora Razian, curator of adult program at Tate Modern. By Patrick Camara Ropeta, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau (Full Article)

Metropolitan's Classes

J4DW has been granted fund by Metropolitan Small Grants providing The ESOL and IT classes for Beginner and Advance learners to improve English and Networking for Migrant Workers and Migrants Domestic workers, Education is very important for Migrant Domestic Workers whose known as the most Vulnerable workers, to improve our knowledge to depend themselves, to build confidence  to be able to speak out for our rights and to lift up our images as human and as any others workers who have the rights as workers. The classes have started on 7th April 2013 and will continue until March 2014, below are pictures during the classes. J4DW believes that education is the way forward to ease our isolation towards freedom from slavery to champions of human rights and workers' rights.

ESOL Metropolitan Class with Tutor Clare

IT Metropolitan Class With Tutor Serena

The 2nd British Council film project (ESOL NEXUS)

On the 7th April 2013 J4DW (Justice 4 Domestic Workers) have done the short shooting with British Council for the 2nd ESOL NEXUS film, to know how their English has improved, and to know the changes for their living and working condition since the 1st film, below are the pictures that we could captured during the shooting

Shooting time in the Red Lion square park, Holborn

Preparing before shooting

Break time after shooting in the cafe, Holborn 

Tate Modern and Showroom April 21 2013

This coming Sunday J4DW www.j4dw.org will be in Tate Modern for "Work like this: A public discussion around precarious labor, visibility and Domestic work"Work Like This: OFF SITE EVENT at Tate Modern and the Showroom http://www.theshowroom.org/participation.html?id=1334%2C1442 We are also invited to documentary film showing, "Night Cleaners" at Tate Modern after our event, Join J4DW, Tate Modern, The show Room and The Werker Magazine (Marc Roig Blesa Rogier Frederik Hendrik Delfos) This Sunday April 21, 2-5PM @Tate Modern!

http://theshowroom.createsend1.com/t/ViewEmail/r/4FC83830CD9C14072540EF23F30FEDED

News & Events at The Showroom

theshowroom.createsend1.com

UPCOMING EVENT: .....................................................................................................................

• public discussion around precarious labour, visibility and domestic work OFF-SITE at Tate Modern, East Room Sunday 21 April, 14.00–17.00 Free, no booking required. Bringing together artists, activists, and the collective, Justice for Domestic Workers, this event will explore the relationship between domestic labour and artists' practice, specifically in relation to visibility and value. Presentations and discussion will look at how strategies of art production and distribution can inform and support social movements related to labour and visibility. Contributors are: Justice for Domestic Workers, Andrea Francke, and ‘Werker Magazine’ (Marc Roig Blesa and Rogier Delfos) This event is in collaboration with Tate Modern. Following the discussion there will be a screening of Nightcleaners by Berwick Street Collective in Tate Modern's Starr Auditorium.

Tate Modern

Bankside, SE1 9TG London, United Kingdom

View map · Get directions

Strengthening J4DW's Course

The  Strengthening J4DW Training  with the management committee and working groups  of J4DW which will run the six months.It aims to specifically provide us with knowledge and skills to work professionally in the day to day basis administrative work of J4DW. The course has started on 7th April 2013, the picture below is during the course with Tutor Eiri Ohtani.

http://youtu.be/nnS66fQJOcY

Our Rights, Our Responsibilities, Our Fight!

Justice for Domestic Workers Cordially Invites you to: J4DW's 4th Year Anniversary and International Women's Day Event

On the 06 of April, 2012 the British government remove the only  protection  that shelters migrant domestic workers here in the UK. The discriminatory and unfair removal of  the Oversaes Domestic  Workers Visa doesn't allow the  worker to change employer, renew  visa and access the right s as workers,making them more vulnerable  to  exploitation. The new legislation has driven them to be illegal and to the extent of criminalising them instead of respecting them as workers. Several  cases of abuse are recorded and many more are hidden in silence with fear.

Come  and join the discussion on 

"Legal Perspective for  Migrant Domestic Workers in the UK Open Forum"

Panellists:

Virgini Mantouvalou (Immigration Law  and Human Rights)

Emily  Gibbs (Criminal Law)

Jamila  Dunacn- Bosu (  Employment Law)

to be chaired by Don  Flynn, Director (Migrant Rights Network)

 "Strike!Dance!Rise with J4DW until Violence Stops against Women and Children"

                                                             One Billion Rising-UK!

  Who among you here have carers, babysitters, housekeepers, domestic  workers who serve your meals and help you get prepared for work,  take  care of your children with all   their hearts,   with all  their  time  and  with  all  their love, making  it  sure that they are safe..that these children of   yours will be able to give  you, dads and mums a big hug  and kiss after  a  long day of tiring work? Who among you here are being served on the table by these lovely aged hands who do wish to have been serving   her husband, her children, grandchildren but all for a wish? Who among you here have suffered for longing a family, missing parents and children for years in exchange of a small amount of penny? These are just few of the many struggles a vulnerable domestic worker is facing at the moment.  

On this very day of the One Billion Rising, where one billion women and men rise up to end  violence against women  around   the  globe, we ,  the Justice for Domestic Workers in the  UK rises  up  for our fellow domestic workers who suffered and are still in the combat to end  the abuse. We rise up for our sisters who are still caged secretly like dogs, locked up and raped, discriminated by unlawful eyes, ignored  and degraded for being a domestic worker. They say we are unskilled, we believe we are not. We are just being unrecognised by the society because we are hidden and tied up by most of our employers. We rise for them being beaten by their employers. We are not your stress basin! We are human beings like you. Every single slap of your hand, punches and kicks gave us pain and brought us scar. Don’t hit us with iron, it burn our skin. We are human beings like you!

On the 06^th of April, 2012 The British government removed the only protection that shelters the migrant domestic workers here in the UK. The discriminatory and unfair removal of the Overseas Domestic WorkersVisa doesn't give the vulnerable workers to change employer, renew visas and access the right as workers and so making them more vulnerable to exploitation. Given a short 6 months  of stay in the UK IS TREATING A DOMESTIC  WORKER LIKE A  HUMAN  LUGGAGE. The law driven them to be illegal and criminalising them instead of respecting them as workers. Several cases of abuse are recorded and many more are hidden in silence with fear.

J4DW March for the Alternative in protest to the removal of Domestic workers rights, October 20, 2012.

J4DW in ONE BILLION RISING GLOBAL CAMPAIGN 
to end violence against women and children

Let's Dance, Strike and Rise! One Billion Rising

                                  "Making Domestic Work Visible to the British Society"

Justice for Domestic Workers explored Tate with such great excitement and  enthusiasm! The weather was just fine and  sunny on that morning. Sundays have always been so  precious for us where we get to meet and socialise with other individuals and communities. Some are  fortunate  to exercise  their  rights  of holidays and breaks but many of the migrant domestic workers particularly in the UK continue to suffer in hidden and exploitative conditions. The project that was organised by the Tate Modern and in partnership with the Justice for Domestic Workers and Unite the Union with theme "Making Domestic Work visible in British Society". 

Saadiya and Nora of Tate tackled personal views to Henri Matisse' abstract collage "The Snail" and her own version.

It's aims are to a.) emphasize the value of domestic work done by domestic workers are relevantly significant to the  daily lives of the British society, regardless of their status whether from working ordinary  individuals or elites. b.) to   give migrant domestic  workers space to create, evaluate and to assert brilliant ideas through art c.) bring out a collective, creative and artistic  way of  campaign.

J4DW art workshops regularly fall every  fourth Sundays of the  month. Here,  each member get to express themselves and interact through open discussions and gallery tours. Every workshop  has  a theme  connected  to individual lives as migrant domestic workers, as working women in  the society, as mothers and as individuals who contribute  greatly to  the UK society. 

Busy J4DW working on their abstract collages

 "Domestic Workers are the shadows of education  and economy .We are the fundamental structures  that hold up the family, we mould children to be good individuals in the society yet we are often disregarded. We  are only noticed when we do mistakes at work but our great jobs seldom acknowledged or appreciated." Realizza Otarra explained.

One workshop done by the group with Nora Razian, art curator at Tate was the exploration to a genre of art,called Abstract.We were introduced  to various art works of renowned artists such as Henri Matisse(The Snail), Pablo Picasso(Bowl of Fruit, Violin and Bottle) Robert Delaunay(Endless Rhythm) and Constantin Brancusi (Fish). The workshop enables us to freely express our selves,our personalities and emotions through colours and shapes.

"Migrant Domestic Workers commemorates International Migrant's  Day"

Members and supporters of the Justice for Domestic Workers gathered in a full-packed Sunday to commemorate and  celebrate International  Migrant's and Christmas Day Event.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/12/20/12/uk-based-domestic-workers-share-stories-exploitation

J4DW and Unite the Union launch the 12<12 ILO Convention campaign for the Ratification of ILO C189

J4DW joins in solidarity and celebration of  "Our Day", Standing Together in for International Migrants Day

"Justice  for Domestic Workers Goes Surreal"

On the 25th of November 2012, Sunday as part of the Justice for Domestic Workers's  "Making  Domestic Work Visible to  the British Society", in  collaboration  with Unite  the Union, The Showroom and Tate Modern - London, the group of migrant domestic  workers in the UK took a trip of adventure and fun  to Poetry and Dreams exhibitions and installations by renowned surrealists  such  as Max Ernst and  Joan  Miro. It exhibits  the  diversion of contemporary art particularly to  the genre of  Surrealism and  the  exploration of some artists to different techniques/themes such as using biomorphic symbols and forms which have been extracted from  subconscious minds into bizarre representations.

Surrealism is a period in art history when artists  create dreamlike or absurd  paintings  filled with mysterious or familiar objects  that have been arranged or altered  in ways that you would not see in  the real  world.

The members  were toured around the gallery to be able to understand the  meaning of Surrealism, how the  artists incorporated these techniques with poetries and dreams and to  hear their  thoughts and views on  each of the selected masterpieces.

"The Entire City"

by: Max Ernst 1934

Oil on  Paper laid canvas

The Entire  City brings the viewer into thne realm  of  Max Ernst's mind and  provides a rare  glimpse at the artist's  gloomy state of  existence during the World War II, when Nazism took  over his home country Germany.

" I  like how rough it looks like.  Very Chaotic and heavy."

-Myrna Manlangit , J4DW

"Iron"

Man Ray 1963

A  humble flat iron transformed by the addition of a row of nails into new and potentially threatening objects. The  nails  and the evocation of hot metal suggest sadism or violent erotism ironically at odds with  the works  title.

"This attracts me  the most.  I saw my personality in this artwork and  it is related to my work as  a  migrant  domestic  worker. I make  contribution  though unrecognised like this iron at home Nails for me  symbolized my resistance to violence. I am  with armed with my knowledge and  rights."

- Dorotea Fabile,  J4DW

"The Voice of Freedom in the German night Wavelength 1937"

John Heartfield

Heartfield imagines the  raised fist of the  communist salute as a radio transmitter. The text  identifies the underground 'Radio station' leading the  clandestine 'struggle' for peace,  freedom  and democracy.

" I saw the struggles of  J4DW and  its fighting spirit to survive!"

- Rosita Salvador, J4DW

“WHY WE WORK TOGETHER”

 Ask! Actie Schonen Kunsten

Members of  the Justice  for Domestic Workers making a reverse graffiti art

Why we work together? Actie Schonen Kunsten is an asssociation of  cultural art workers making alliances with Migrant Domestic Workers who address the condition s  and  demands  of Domestic Work mainly in Netherlands. It is an assonating name using the traditional Dutch term for ‘fine arts’ which can also be read as ‘clean arts’. On the 28th of October 2012, Actie Schonen Kunsten (ASK) visited London in cooperation with The Showroom London and Justice for Domestic Workers – an organisation of multi national migrant domestic workers based in London. The Showroom’s Louise Shelley formally introduced the artists from the group ASK Netherlands who came for a reverse graffiti campaign with the J4DW. Binna Choi, the director of the  group who initiatively working together with Rogier Frederik Hendrik Delfros, a graphic artist and Marc Roig Blesa, visual artist started the open discussion by asking why we should work together? There were five reasons we tackled with them. Firstly, Domestic workers and artists are both dealing with aesthetics on a daily basis. Aesthetics in domestic labour doesn't mean of that beautiful design or looking nice and good. It is more of recognition and acknowledgement, constant questioning and (re) negotiation. As Domestic labour and workers are struggling with this invisibility, artists who are specialists with aesthetic works of art are now struggling with the invisibility of art. Artists and domestic workers contribute greatly in the society without being recognised and acknowledged. Hence, both have to break these mental barriers and work together in a new form of protest. Secondly, we, domestic workers and artists both demand recognition and respect for our work. We perform our living labour under conditions and precarity. Thirdly, we believe in domestic labour. Domestic work is the beginning and end of all labours. It is the source of economy and we should be the centre of reorganisation and challenge the current pattern. Next, we can learn from each other. Domestic workers can use media and art spaces as platforms. Working together with various artists from The Showroom and Tate Modern and credits for Monica Fabiola Cortazar, J4DW’s Art Adviser we developed a new way of approach to campaign. With Art, we believe each individual is an artist with a unique kind of creativity and resourcefulness that need to be brought into the outside world of domestic bondage. On the other hand, artists and curators can learn from the domestic workers’ organisational strategies and collectivism. Finally, we count on temporary alliances. As what the artists said, we cannot make a change if we just stay in our own respective worlds.

Together with ASK cultural art workers and with The Showroom, we Justice for Domestic Workers enjoyed the collaboration of strategic campaign and reverse graffiti campaign in “dirty” areas around The Showroom neighbourhood using isotopes, a work of art by Berlin artist Andreas Siekmann representing an ‘army’ of Domestic workers.

Army of Domestic Workers, image: Andreas Siekmann(Artist, Berlin)

J4DW would like to thank Unite the Union and Tate Modern for continuous support in making this project 'Making Domestic Work visible in British Society'.

    “EDUCATION and SKILLS for MIGRANT DOMESTIC WORKERS!”

Justice for Domestic Workers learning  Together!

“To provide education and skills to help Domestic Workers to be able to adapt to the new environment and cultural differences in the UK, to improve our quality of life.” - J4DW Objectives

On the 4^th of November 2012, the Justice for Domestic Workers and volunteers once again met at the Faraday House Old Gloucester Road, London for a very informative and fun learning. ESOL, ICT, ARTS classes which started at 11 in the morning began with a partial number of 37 learners spread according to their respective courses and levels. 

ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION MODEL CLASSES of JUSTICE FOR DOMESTIC WORKERS is provided by UNITE the UNION via LifeLong Learning Project.