<p class="bodytext">Ahead of International Domestic Workers Day on June 16, three domestic workers’ unions addressed a press conference to demand better rights and pay on Friday. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The congregation included members from Bengaluru Domestic Workers’ Trade Union (BDWTU), Manegelasa Karmikara Union (MKU), and Karnataka Rajya Manegelesa Karmikara Okkuta (KRMKO). The event was held in collaboration with the National Domestic Workers Welfare Trust. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The event was held in follow-up to the Supreme Court judgment passed on January 28, which directed the Centre to form an expert committee and consider the enactment of a law to secure the rights of domestic workers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“The judgment is a welcome move, but we hope to see more progress in this area. It’s been close to six months, and the expert committee is yet to be formed. There’s no news about it,” said Karibasappa M, member of KRMKO. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The workers believe that the first step in securing basic rights for domestic workers is to claim the title of a ‘worker’.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“Often, people refer to domestic workers as the maid or domestic help, which takes away the hard work of workers. Just like other labourers, what they do every day is labour too. It is not ‘help’. The government will have to start from the root, as currently there is no official documentation of how many domestic workers are employed in India,” he said. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The unions put forth a list of demands to be taken into consideration if and when the central government drafts a law. The list includes protection from sexual harassment and trafficking in the workplace, coverage under the Employees’ State Insurance Scheme, minimum wage enforcement, prevention from caste discrimination, weekly leave, annual bonus, provident fund and severance pay. </p>.<p class="bodytext">A member of BDWTU, Shashikala, shed light on the plight of domestic workers.</p>
<p class="bodytext">Ahead of International Domestic Workers Day on June 16, three domestic workers’ unions addressed a press conference to demand better rights and pay on Friday. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The congregation included members from Bengaluru Domestic Workers’ Trade Union (BDWTU), Manegelasa Karmikara Union (MKU), and Karnataka Rajya Manegelesa Karmikara Okkuta (KRMKO). The event was held in collaboration with the National Domestic Workers Welfare Trust. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The event was held in follow-up to the Supreme Court judgment passed on January 28, which directed the Centre to form an expert committee and consider the enactment of a law to secure the rights of domestic workers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“The judgment is a welcome move, but we hope to see more progress in this area. It’s been close to six months, and the expert committee is yet to be formed. There’s no news about it,” said Karibasappa M, member of KRMKO. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The workers believe that the first step in securing basic rights for domestic workers is to claim the title of a ‘worker’.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“Often, people refer to domestic workers as the maid or domestic help, which takes away the hard work of workers. Just like other labourers, what they do every day is labour too. It is not ‘help’. The government will have to start from the root, as currently there is no official documentation of how many domestic workers are employed in India,” he said. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The unions put forth a list of demands to be taken into consideration if and when the central government drafts a law. The list includes protection from sexual harassment and trafficking in the workplace, coverage under the Employees’ State Insurance Scheme, minimum wage enforcement, prevention from caste discrimination, weekly leave, annual bonus, provident fund and severance pay. </p>.<p class="bodytext">A member of BDWTU, Shashikala, shed light on the plight of domestic workers.</p>
