She served as the General Secretary of the South African Domestic Service and Allied Workers Union (SADSAWU).

In the 1960s, Myrtle began her career as a young domestic worker in apartheid South Africa.

[3] As General Secretary of SADSAWU, she has fought for a national minimum wage increase and compensation for on-the-job injuries for domestic workers.

[6] As part of SADSAWU, Myrtle played a central role in influencing the ILO Domestic Workers Convention C.189.

[7] The convention marked unprecedented involvement of informal women workers in the ILO standard-setting process.