Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Women domestic workers in the city are being made aware of their legal rights. They are also being trained in mobilising their collective strength for demanding that the government should lay down guidelines for their welfare. They have also been taught how to approach government authorities in case their rights are violated.
About 500 women domestic workers from Bhopal are being trained by ActionAid, an NGO. A memorandum of demands of domestic workers has also been prepared. The demands include fixation of minimum wages on the basis of work hours and nature, provision of equal pay for equal work and weekly/monthly leave, formation of a welfare board for protection of the interests of domestic workers and six months paid maternity leave for domestic working women, among others.
According to ActionAid programme head Soumya Saxena, women domestic workers are one of the most exploited and vulnerable sections of society, with no job security and no paid leaves. Their employers hardly bother about labour laws. They don’t know whom to approach for securing their rights.
“We had launched this campaign in February 2020 but it had to be abandoned due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, we are re-launching it,” says Saxena, adding that “they would train the women to fight for their rights by forming unions and approaching government authorities. We want them to help themselves.”
