Domestic workers, who are out of work for more than 40 days now, wish they could return to work just like plumbers and electricians as they are left with no source of income.
Although the initial order issued by the government on May 3 said that domestic workers can be permitted to work after getting e-pass, through a clarification it reversed the decision the very next day.
M. Manimegalai, 37, from S. M. P. Colony is a mother of two children. Ever since she was deserted by her husband two years ago, she has been working in four houses to support her family. She says not a single household gave her any money since the lockdown began .
“I feel uneasy about asking them for money without having done any work,” she says. Now she is unable to buy sanitary napkins for her two daughters and is instead giving them old cotton cloth. “I feel ashamed, but what else can I do?” she says.
S. Indirani, 42, from Karumbalai whose husband died a few years ago, says she must support her two daughters somehow as she was not paid during lockdown. With no collateral to give, she is unable to get a loan too.
A. Manjula, 56, from Sakkimangalam called on her employer for work but was sent away with ration goods. “I tried to convey that I badly needed cash, but it was not well received,” she says.
P. Clarammal, State Coordinator, Tamil Nadu Domestic Workers’ Union, says though the employers need to be prudent and should not ask domestic workers to come for work because of the COVID-19 scare, they must not hold back their wages for the lockdown period and instead cheat them by giving them rations or old clothes.
The pandemic had allowed for further exploitation of an oppressed class.
“Why can’t houses at least pay half the salary. They are paid ₹2,000 per month at the most,” she says. There are around 800 women who have registered their names with the Tamil Nadu Domestic Workers’ Union. Even among them, not many are aware of the ₹1,000 assistance given by the State government. “There are at least 5,000 domestic workers in Madurai district and many are unaware of the existence of the Welfare Board. The State government is oblivious to their problems?” she says.
