Participants at the meeting in Istanbul, held in November 2007 were representatives of homebased worker organizations including trade unions, associations and cooperatives, support groups, campaigns and others working with women homebased workers from the following countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Macedonia, Portugal including Madeira, Romania, Serbia, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

We, organizations of homebased workers and support organizations, reaffirmed our commitment to work to improve the lives of women homebased workers through support for democratic worker organization.

Women homebased workers have the right to organize in existing trade unions, set up new trade unions or other forms of organization such as associations or cooperatives, free of outside control or pressure.

We work in solidarity with all homebased workers, mainly women, working in different countries and sectors, rural and urban.

We support the demand of women homebased workers, whatever their employment relations or status, to recognition as workers, to the right to organize and for recognition of their organizations, and for representation.

We recognize the contribution made by homebased workers to the economy of their countries and will work towards wider recognition of this. We will work to raise the visibility of homebased workers and the value of their labour in all countries.Social Protection

We support the general demands of all homebased workers for full social protection and for equal treatment with other workers, as spelled out in the ILO Convention adopted in 1996.

In particular, as the European Homeworking Group,we support active campaigns at national level in the different countries

We support the right of women homebased workers to earn enough to support themselves and their families and for protection and an income when they are sick, at times of maternity and in old age.We are committed to campaigning actively within Europe for these rights to become a reality.

International campaign for homeworkers in leather footwear

We will work together with the international campaign in support of homeworkers in the leather footwear sector, with the main aim of building worker organization.

In Europe, we will build solidarity and exchange of information and experience between different groups of homeworkers in the sector.

We will build links between organizations of homeworkers and other workers’ organizations, particularly trade unions.

We will build links with consumer campaigns, women’s organizations and all those who support the demands of homeworkers.

We will continue to map the chains of production, both within Europe and internationally.

We will raise public awareness of the demands of homeworkers.

Building stronger and wider links

We are committed to building stronger links and extending our network within the European region, while also recognizing we are part of a wider, international movement of women homebased workers.

We will communicate actively and overcome language and other barriers to exchange of information.

We are committed to building alliances with other worker organizations and all those supporting the movement of women workers for recognition, rights and social justice throughout the world.