Under the category of unorganised workers in India, the domestic workers occupy the bottom most spot. There are absolutely no laws regulating their payment and working conditions. The first major roadblock in their struggle is for the ‘household workers’ to be recognised as labour. Household work of cleaning, cooking, gardening and taking care of children is not considered as an economic activity. The society in general does not regard such labour as respectable, decent and productive.
On the other hand, the demand for household workers is growing. In fact, it is expanding along with urbanisation and the concomitant offshoot of nuclear families. Inter-state migration and intra-state migration from villages to the towns also pulls the requirement for domestic workers. It is estimated that the population of domestic workers is around 40 lakh in India. In the state of Goa, it could be placed at over 75,000.
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The Parliament enacted the Domestic Workers (Registration, Social Security & Welfare) Act, 2008. Despite the lapse of 14 years, the same is still not notified by the government. Though there are provisions to regulate the payment, wages, leave, maternity benefits and working conditions, they are all gathering dust on the statute book. The issues of the domestic workforce do not seem to be at any level on the priority list of the political machinery. This is natural as the domestic work force is uneducated, not unionised and voiceless. Nearly 80% of the domestic workers are women. Overall, the domestic workers form the lowest rank in the ladder of the underprivileged sections of the society. Domestic workers tend to be invisible labour as their work is in the households and they stand spread over multiple employers.
Mind-sets
Our traditions and beliefs towards household work have formed regressive and negative mind-sets. That domestic work is just ‘no work’ is the dominating influence. This is the reason why the work, toil and home engagement of a house-wife is not recognised as productive and fruitful in economic terms, though she is revered as a mother with booster dozes of emotion. So, when it comes to domestic labour, the equation is not of employer and worker but of master and servant. A servant does not have any rights or privileges. A servant feeds on the morsels thrown by the master as per the whims and fancies. It is the duty of the servant to work for the master without rest or break. Even a murmur for wages or an off from work is just unthinkable in such an arrangement. This mentality has shaped the Indian householders’ attitude towards domestic workers. The landed gentry in Goa will understand this better. Even today, they suffer from headaches if there is talk of rights of domestic workers and pine for the good old days.
Domestic servants are also stigmatized as migrants and bear the brunt of foul and uncouth language from the so-called warriors of regional identity. Even before domestic workers raise their voice for minimum wages and decent working conditions, they are silenced with the ‘migrant’ bombast. In Goa, it has become a route to sudden heroism to demean unorganised labour and underprivileged migrants engaged as domestic workers and “disagreeable” occupations as “ghanti”. Such references with derogatory intent are sickening in the State which takes pride of liberal culture. Little do we realise that our towns, highways and by-lanes will overflow with dirt and filth, if these poor, homeless and voiceless workers strike work for a day or two. Politicians project themselves as the god-fathers of unorganised domestic workers but never take their basic issues on priority.
Unionisation & government apathy
There are attempts to organise and unionise domestic workers throughout the country. The difficulties are genuine as domestic workers are not attached to a single employer. However, unionisation has brought some relief to the domestic workers. But these are only in a very few pockets, and the vast segment is uncovered. In fact, too little is under protective cover; the chunk lying undefended is very huge. Such huge numbers in domestic workforce should not be left to the whims of individual households. Without any labour law or welfare legislation in favour of the domestic workers, the tasks before the unions are indeed daunting.
The government apathy is evident. Only four states have the Domestic Workers Welfare Boards and only nine states have incorporated domestic workers under the Schedule of the Minimum Wages Act.
The requirement of domestic workers is bound to grow. This unorganised labour cannot be left in the lurch for decent wages and living conditions. The state of Goa should immediately enact a law for the state domestic workers. As an interim measure, the government could constitute ad-hoc State and District Advisory Boards with representation to the unions and organisations working in the field for welfare of domestic workers. This will be a forum for redress of grievances of domestic workers and provide inputs to the government to enunciate welfare policies.
The most immediate need is to define the minimum wages of domestic workers depending on the services and hours engaged under the schedule to the Minimum Wages Act, and also make it obligatory for a written contract of service between the household employer and the worker.
At present, nothing about welfare for domestic workers seems to be in the pipeline of the Goa government. Probably, the bureaucrats and the political brass are also under the age-old mindset of domestic labour as ‘servants’ and not workers. Intermittently, we see advisories issued by the government and the police of registering the details of domestic workers at police stations. Policing is important but more important is to recognise the productive and economic contribution of domestic workers. The focus should not be only on the likelihood of crime but on the welfare of this invisibly visible workforce which contributes to households and families to make their lives and fortunes.
(The writer is an educationist and political commentator.)
