JOIN US Domestic workers from various parts of the City came together on Thursday near Town Hall to demand bonus on the occasion of Diwali that is a few days away.
“In spite of the recognition by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and even the State and Central government, domestic workers are a section that is not governed by any law or regulation with regard to the hours or conditions of work and have no policy of increment,” said Geeta Menon, Secretary, Domestic Workers Rights Union.
Around 70 domestic workers along with students from a few colleges participated in the protest.
The Domestic Workers Rights Union had been campaigning for a Diwali bonus for the past one week and there was mixed response to the demand. Some employers readily supported the demand of their domestic helps while most of them did not.
“Some offered sarees, while others hit back by saying that domestic workers did not work properly in any case and they had no right to ask for a bonus”, said Menon. “There was also the tendency to criminalise all domestic helps by branding them thieves,” she added.