“My employer is entitled to increments from time to time, why not me? When the government recognizes all other types of work and fixes minimum wages for them, why is my work as a domestic help not recognized?” Asked 30-year-old Sajina, a resident of Bengali Basti in Jai Hind Camp of Vasant Kunj.
Sajina, who hails from Bihar, shifted to Delhi after marriage and has been working as a domestic help for over a decade. She works 8-10 hours a day without any holidays and earns only ₹10,000.
“I asked my employer for a hike a year ago, but he told me to wait for six months. It’s been more than a year now, I’m still yet to get my salary. Also, I am allowed leave only when I am unwell, otherwise I will have to work for the whole month without break,” said Ms. Sajina.
‘Rights conscious’
Last year, she met members of the Sangrami Gharelu-Kamgar Sangh (SGU) at an event in Bengali Basti to mark International Women’s Day. She joined the group in hopes of turning things around for herself and others as well. “Initially, only six-seven women attended, but in the last one year the number has increased significantly. About 300 women participated in the last monthly meeting. Though not much has changed, we are now more aware of our rights and are united in our fight for them,” said Ms Sajina.
One of the participants of the conference shared his experience of working as a domestic worker. photo credit: special arrangement
SGU is organizing domestic workers in Delhi-NCR, Kolkata and Bengaluru to get legal recognition for their work and to protect their right to dignified employment. Some of its key demands include a comprehensive pro-worker law, the right to form trade unions, a minimum wage and social security.
According to SGU member Shreya Ghosh, except in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Kerala, no other state or central government has a law for domestic workers. “Unless there is a law guaranteeing the rights of domestic workers, they cannot legally demand them,” she said.
no social security
Ms. Ghosh said that most domestic workers earn ₹10,000-12,000 a month by working 10-12 hours a day or even more. “Given the inflation rate and long working hours, their wages should be very high. Also, there is no social security plan to take care of them when they grow old and are unable to work. They have been left to take care of themselves and survive on their meager savings,” said Ms. Ghosh.
At a domestic workers’ conference organized by the SGU at Masoodpur in Vasant Kunj last month, several people shared their experiences and talked about their hardships and demanded compulsory weekly paid leave, minimum wages and social and old age security.
“Though the Delhi government has fixed minimum wages for workers, it does not apply to domestic workers as it is not recognized as a ‘statutory work’. Similar is the situation in most other states too,” Ms Ghosh said.
He said that making only one law is not enough as seen in the case of four states which have laws for domestic workers. “The workers need to unite and form unions to claim their legal rights. But it is very difficult for domestic workers to register a union. Tribunals should be set up for redressal of their grievances such as arbitrary dismissal and non-payment of dues,” Ms Ghosh said.
flagged off the survey
Union Labor and Employment Minister Bhupendra Yadav had flagged off the first all-India survey on domestic workers last November. Its objective is to assess the number of domestic workers at the national and state level, their percentage distribution in relation to formal/informal employment, their wages and other socio-economic characteristics.
The results of the survey are expected by the end of this year.