Care workers call for urgent action on International Day of Care and Support

Care workers across the globe are observing the UN’s International Day of Care and Support by issuing a clear message to governments and employers: “Care workers can’t wait.” The workers, whether represented by unions around the world or organizing to form a union, are calling for immediate action to address unsafe staffing, rampant gender-based harassment and the widespread lack of formal employment in the care economy.

The vast majority of care workers are women, and the persistent undervaluation of health and care work is rooted in toxic gender norms. The chronic underinvestment in the sector is a continuing obstacle to women’s economic empowerment.

“Care professionals are at the heart of society’s well-being, whether they work in long-term care facilities or in hospitals, or whether they are in homes or throughout their communities,” said Christy Hoffman, General Secretary of UNI Global Union. “However, these workers continue to operate in unsafe and underregulated environments, often without job security or protections against workplace abuse.”

“We need a global wake-up call,” Hoffman said in an essay published on October 29 . “The heroism we witnessed during the pandemic wasn’t a fleeting moment; it was the reality of what care work looks like every day. Our society still depends on these workers to hold communities together, to care for our loved ones, and to ensure that we can all live with dignity. Fulfilling the promises made in the darkest days of the pandemic isn’t just about keeping our word—it’s about building the resilient health systems and communities we need for the future. Caring for those who care for us is not an option; it is an ethical imperative.”

At the top of the unions’ demands is the need for safe staffing standards in health and care facilities. UNI Global Union, which represents millions of private care workers worldwide, stressed that inadequate staffing not only threatens workers’ well-being but also endangers patients.

“Safe staffing saves lives,” said Alan Sable, UNI Global Union’s Head of Care. “When there aren’t enough caregivers, the quality-of-care declines, and both workers and patients face increased risks. Governments must enact and enforce minimum staffing levels now.”

Overworked and understaffed facilities lead to burnout, high turnover, and deteriorating care, creating a vicious cycle that leaves workers and patients vulnerable. In countries like the United States, recent union wins—such as SEIU Healthcare’s success in securing mandatory safe staffing regulations in Pennsylvania’s aged care facilities—offer a model for how governments can intervene.

Ending Workplace Harassment and Gender-Based Violence

Workplace harassment, particularly gender-based violence, remains a pervasive issue in the care sector. According to the union UA Zensen , in Japan 74 per cent of care workers have experienced harassment on the job, with women—who make up the majority of the workforce—disproportionately affected.

In response to this growing concern, care unions are advocating for stronger legal protections and enforcement mechanisms to safeguard workers from abuse. Recent efforts in Japan, where the union UA Zensen  has successfully pressured the government to introduce anti-harassment measures in care facilities, demonstrate the importance of collective action.

Formal Employment: Securing Rights for All Care Workers

For millions of care workers, informal employment remains the norm, leaving them without job security, social protections or the ability to unionize. Care unions are making the formalization of care work a key demand in its campaign to improve conditions across the sector.

A Global Call for Meaningful Change

As care workers and their unions mobilize on this International Day of Care and Support, their demands are clear:

1. Formalize all care jobs to ensure decent work, gender equality, and access to social protections.
2. Enforce safe staffing standards to protect both care workers and those they care for.
3. Implement strong protections against workplace harassment and gender-based violence.
4. Guarantee the right to unionize and collectively bargain, which is essential to improving conditions in the care sector.

“Care is a profession—one that is essential to the health of every society,” said Sable. “Yet the majority of care workers, especially women, are employed informally, with no job security or social protections. This International Day of Care and Support, we are demanding that governments and employers recognize the value of care work and provide the formal employment, fair pay and dignity these workers deserve.”

By emphasizing safe staffing, formal employment, and protections against harassment, care workers’ unions are driving the call for urgent reforms that will benefit not only the workers themselves but also the communities and individuals who rely on their care.