Workers in Brussels have established a co-operative domestic service agency, with a €90,000 fundraising campaign under way ahead of its planned launch in January.
The newly founded Les Perles Rouge agency offers the same domestic services as a traditional agency, but is owned and operated co-operatively by the workers themselves.
According to EU Reporter, the co-op was established in June 2026 and is set to begin operations in January 2027, with the creation of 10 full-time positions. To this end, it is launching a public crowdfunding campaign to raise €90,000 by March 2027, with shares available for €50 each.
The agency will operate under Belgium’s existing service voucher system, which is effectively a subsidised payment system for domestic work. It allows households to pay for services such as cleaning, ironing, and shopping assistance through approved providers, with customers buying vouchers at a subsidised price and using them to pay for hours worked.
Accredited agencies then employ the workers and redeem the vouchers for reimbursement from the relevant regional government. The system is intended to make domestic help more affordable while bringing domestic workers into the formal economy, with around 27,000 working in these roles in Brussels alone.
However, increases to the service voucher fee have led to concerns about working conditions and wages, as well as the risk of job cuts. A survey by the CSC trade union finding that six out of ten domestic workers in the Belgian capital now feel their workload has become heavier since price hikes. It’s in this context that Les Perles Rouge was founded.
Maira Caiza, one of the co-op’s co-founders, said she wanted to create an organisation in which domestic workers were treated with dignity and had greater opportunities to develop their skills: “I wanted to start my own company, but I was told I needed to put down €25,000 for official accreditation. I thought it was all over. But then I took a course on starting a business and realised there was another way.”
Caiza added: “We are a co-operative open to all workers. Our cause is the workers’ cause: defending their rights, improving their working conditions, and building a future together that is fairer and more inclusive.”
Each member of the co-op will have one vote at general meetings, with founding members having a say over key decisions such as its fundamental purpose. Members will decide how the organisation’s earnings are allocated. The co-op’s founders have committed to providing training, including practical guidance on understanding payslips, and creating opportunities for career development. They also intend to direct resources towards wages, workers’ wellbeing, and improved working conditions.
The project has received support from Fabruka, an organisation that helps groups establish social economy enterprises, as well as the Belgian finance organisation Crédal, which is providing a solidarity loan. The €25,000 guarantee required for official accreditation has already been deposited.
