AICCTU asks govt to release Kannada draft of Karnataka Domestic Workers Bill

Bengaluru: The All India Central Council for Trade Unions wrote a letter to the Labour Department on Thursday urging the government to release the draft of Karnataka Domestic Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2025 in Kannada as many workers do not understand the English language. 

The Labour Department released the draft of the bill on October 15 and gave citizens a month’s time to provide suggestions and cite objections. 

The bill mandates a written agreement between employer and employee, paying minimum wages and overtime wages to domestic workers. 

The union requested to release the draft bill in Kannada, to provide a month’s time from the release of draft to provide suggestions and complaints and to organise meetings in all the districts to understand the opinions of workers.

The union requested to release the draft bill in Kannada, to provide a month’s time from the release of draft to provide suggestions and complaints and to organise meetings in all the districts to understand the opinions of workers.

Speaking to DH, Maitreyi K, State Secretary AICCTU, said, “We welcome the move of the government and this has been requested for a long time. But the draft has only been released in English and the department has asked for suggestions and objections. But a lot of workers are only fluent in Kannada.”

“When the workers can understand the bill, they can provide suggestions and get their requirements in the bill, so we are urging for the release of the Kannada version,” said Maitreyi. 

In the letter to the department, the union expressing its disappointment, said, “The government that gives prominence to the Kannada language has failed to release the draft of an important bill in Kannada.”

The letter questioned the aim of releasing the draft of a bill in public is for the people who are concerned can suggest changes but if they are not able to understand it, how can they suggest changes.