The Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) marked international domestic workers day on Tuesday by calling on the Government to recognise the contribution of homecare workers during and after the Covid-19 crisis.

Edel McGinley of MRCI said Covid-19 had shown the importance of these essential workers in our communities. “Their work enables Irish families to provide much needed care for their loved ones to stay at home and live safely and independently,” she said.

Ms McGinley said demand for home care services is predicted to increase by 66% by 2030, while 20,000 workers are needed to keep up with current demand. More than 7,000 people are on HSE waiting lists for home care services, while 27,000 family carers have unmet respite care needs.

While one in three of undocumented workers in Ireland are employed in care and domestic work, and despite the soaring demand for more care workers, only six new work permits were granted in 2018 for care and domestic work.

Alma*, an undocumented domestic worker said: “I love the woman I work with. We have been cocooning together, but we haven’t been able to leave the house for the past 12 weeks. It has been okay, but I always worry about my own family.”

MCRI’s Linda Keitasha said migrant domestic workers were among the unsung heroes of the pandemic.

“The draft programme for government has welcome commitments to regularise undocumented workers and introduce a new statutory homecare scheme for older people. We hope that these will be given urgent attention when the new government forms,” she said.

*Not her real name.

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