Scores of domestic workers, clad in red sarees, took part in a protest here on Monday demanding that the Union government recognise them as workers and ensure that they enjoyed labour rights.
The workers, who are part of Domestic Workers Rights’ Union, said that the government, despite being a signatory on the ILO Convention C 189, ‘Decent work is Domestic Work’, had failed to ratify the convention. This, although eight years had lapsed since the ILO meeting in 2011.
Geetha Menon, an activist who has been fighting for the rights of domestic workers, said that despite repeated reminders in the form of memoranda, protests and strikes, both the State and Union governments have ignored the demands of the domestic workers across the country.
“This negligent attitude of the lawmakers has forced domestic workers to take to the streets to raise their voices,” she said. She added that a domestic worker, who works for at least eight hours a day, earns around ₹3,000 to ₹5,000 per month, which falls below even the bare minimum requirement to make ends meet.
Mukku Laxmi, a domestic worker from JP Nagar said, “Apart from this, we are sometimes exposed to violent atrocities by employers and at times fall victim to accidents that take place at work. A pot of boiling dal fell on my feet causing severe burns. As I had to take around a fortnight off for my treatment, my wages were cut,” she said.
The absence of any kind of bonuses, social security and regularity in wages has only worsened her plight, she added.
