A file photo of domestic workers at a meeting to demand their rights in Bengaluru. Image for representational purposes.
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: Domestic workers’ unions in the city and across the country have expressed deep frustration following the Supreme Court’s refusal to entertain a petition seeking enforcement of statutory minimum wages for the sector.
The unions, including the city-based Domestic Workers Rights Union (DWRU), issued a joint statement on Monday, four days after the apex court disposed of their writ petition.
The court, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, directed the workers to approach state governments instead to highlight their concerns.
The unions alleged that their claims, grounded in constitutional rights of equality and non-discrimination, were filtered through “prevailing social assumptions” that prioritise “patriarchal family values” and employer convenience over the rights of the country’s poorest women workers.
“We feel deeply offended that our claims were not examined through a substantive constitutional lens,” said Geeta Menon, General Secretary of DWRU, Karnataka.
The unions argued that by dismissing the petition, the court overlooked decades of struggle without adequately engaging with evidence or the constitutional implications of Article 23, which prohibits forced labour.
The state government recently released the Draft Karnataka Domestic Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2025. However, activists have flagged that it lacks a clear mandate for minimum wages and enforceable rights.
Despite the legal setback, the unions maintained they would continue to organise, resist, and fight for legal recognition and protection for domestic workers.