THIS STORY IS PART OF ILRF'S MOTHERS' STORIES SERIES. To read other stories, click here [1].
Sarmijem was interviewed by ILRF's partner, FKUI [2]in
My name is Sarmijem, and I am forty six years old. I begin my day by waking at 4:30 a.m. in my small village of Ngentak, Seloharjo – Bantul, Jogjakarta. I wash my face, and start my day with a prayer. Afterward, I cook ‘nasi goreng’ (fried rice) for breakfast and make coffee for my husband. Then I go outside and feed our chicken. In the mornings, I quickly clean the house, take a shower, and get ready for work.
I am fortunate, because my second daughter, who is nineteen years old, helps me with washing clothes, ironing, and other domestic chores around the house because she has been unable to find work. My first daughter, who is twenty one years old, is already married and lives in another village. My husband does not have a job, but spends the day gathering grasses to feed a goat that we received from the FKUI union after the earthquake in 2006.
By 6:30 a.m., I arrived at the house of my employers, and begin work as a domestic worker. I have to arrive by 6:30 a.m. before my employers go to work teaching at university. My main job is to care for their baby, who is nine months old. My employer knows that I was ‘a nutrition cader’ in my village. I bathe the baby, feed her, wash and iron her clothes, walk around the house, and lull her. At 5:00 p.m., I return home, take a shower, and feed our chicken. After praying, I cook dinner for my family, and go to bed. I feels very tired, but am happy that I can feed my family.
In comparison to other domestic workers I know, I receive a pretty good salary. However, comparing my expenses and the cost of feeding my family, salary is not nearly enough. I receive Rp. 20.000 ($2 a day) for working more than 10 hours a day, 6 days a week. I don’t think my salary is fair. Think about it - the cost for feeding my chicken is Rp. 5.000 (50 cents) a day, a quarter of my daily salary. But I do not have the heart to ask for a higher salary. Let alone, any social protections or benefits.
In the year 2000, I joined FKUI-SBSI, the Federation of Construction, Informal and General workers. In Bantul, there are four women’s groups, each group consists of 60 to 80 women. Now, I am the chairperson of the FKUI branch of Bantul. With my organizing work in FKUI, I helped distribute basic goods to FKUI members hit by the earthquake in 2006. I also work organizing workers in the informal economy like small traders in the traditional market, fruit vendors at the Parangtritis beach, small snack producers, and for the past two years, my fellow domestic workers.
Nowadays, we have more than 100 FKUI members working as domestic workers. I have joined the network of domestic workers in Jogjakarta, done advocacy and protests to the local parliament of Jogjakarta, attended the Domestic Workers Asia Pacific conference, participating in the ILO workshop on domestic workers, promoting the FKUI campaign entitled “Not Helper, but Domestic Worker’, and many other union activities. Even after paritcipating in all of these union activities, I decided to return to work as a domestic worker. I hope that domestic workers will have better working conditions in the future, for me and my family, and my fellow domestic workers.
Sarmijem is not alone. Unskilled women workers and children have entered the informal economy as domestic workers throughout the developing and developed world an alarming rate. Women overwhelmingly occupy the lowest paying, most unstable jobs without basic protections and benefits.