Domestic workers from across the city gathered outside the mini-Secretariat here on Tuesday, holding a dharna and seeking State intervention to ensure their just demands are fulfilled.
Wage board
Holding placards that read, “We Are Workers, Not Slaves” and “Long Live Domestic Workers’ Unity ”, and the domestic workers, mostly women, staged a demonstration under the aegis of Gharelu Kamgar Union (GKU).
Some of their major demands include legal action against employers not paying salaries to domestic workers, immediate registration of cases by the police following complaints by domestic workers, four-day compulsory leave every month, constitution of a tripartite committee/wage board to regulate salaries and to ensure payment of wages to domestic workers in accordance with the wage rate list issued by the workers’ union.
Sexual harassment
Other demands included ensuring police action in every case of sexual harassment and violence against domestic workers, and setting up of restrooms for domestic workers in all housing complexes.
GKU convener Maya John said besides highly exploitative wages, domestic workers face various problems on a regular basis.
“Irregular payment of wages by employers, extraction of more work than agreed upon at the start of employment, and the practice of arbitrarily reducing wages are rampant problems that breed overt exploitation of domestic workers. Employers frequently refuse payment to workers by stopping access to the housing society by levelling false accusations. Physical assault by employers is also a common practice. Domestic workers are even denied weekly rest or leave when sick,” said Ms. John.
“The memorandum with 11 demands was submitted to City Magistrate Manisha Sharma, who met the union and workers at the protest venue. She assured that she will convey our demands to Deputy Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh,” said Ms. John.
