Domestic workers have called for fully paid maternity leave and also demanded the right to eight hours of work per day like any other occupation in the service industry.
The demands coincided with International Domestic Workers Day, which fell on June 16.
Malee Soblek, chairwoman of the Domestic Workers Network of Thailand, called on the government to approve Domestic Workers Convention No.189 which protects the rights of all domestic workers.
Her group also asked the Labour Ministry to rule on ministerial regulations that guarantee maternity leave, a minimum wage and fixed work hours for domestic workers.
Ms Malee said most domestic workers are women aged 25-35. Many do not have partners, and the ones who have husbands are mostly childless.
She said the main reason domestic workers do not have children is out of fear of losing their job if they get pregnant, as employers tend to hire replacements in such circumstances.
"We are raising employers' kids but we do not have a chance to start our own family. We do not have time to nurture our own children," said Ms Malee.
Ministerial Regulation No.14 2012 issued under the Labour Protection Act grants domestic workers one day off per week and 13 public holidays, she said. They can take sick leave not exceeding 30 days a year and are still fully paid.
However, only some employers follow the regulation. Many domestic workers do not have fixed work hours because they live with their employer and must prepare three meals a day, making an organised schedule difficult, she said.
Ms Malee also encouraged the government sector to offer English classes to domestic workers as there is increasing demand in foreign countries and among foreign employers in Thailand.
Ukrish Kanchanaketu, adviser of the Employers' Confederation of Thailand (ECOT), backed maternity leave for domestic workers. However, workers have to inform their employers beforehand if they are expecting a baby so that their employers can consider hiring them despite their condition.
He added that as some domestic workers live with their employers, a set eight-hour day might be impractical and have to be reconsidered. "Our goal is to improve workers' quality of life and diminish the wealth gap. However, we need to consider the practical realities as well," Mr Ukrish said.
