Who decides our pay?
Kusuma came from Bengal, but she has been living in Gurgaon for more than 4 years now. Her Hindi has become fluent, but she still has issues negotiating price with her employers. Most of it is because there is always someone to take up the work in case she declines it. She has brought many of her other relatives to work in the city along with her. But she says there is no unity among them, because they cannot look after each other. The other person needs to start earning. The inability to ascertain wages in the situation where there is no lower limit makes it difficult for domestic workers to strike a right bargain. Even when wages are given fairly, it is misunderstood as an act of benevolence by the employer up on the worker, and not the worker’s right. In the capital Delhi, there is no schedule which specifies minimum wages for domestic workers. Part of this emerges from the difficulty to calculate wages. The work which maids do is often seen as a job or a combination of jobs such as sweeping, washing dishes, cooking etc, and is generally not calculated on the basis of number of hours work is put in. Domestic workers are seen as ‘helps’ and never as professionals. |
|
'When I'm old and weary'
Chandra Rani lives in Madanpur Khadar. She, along with other workers living around her, has been working in Chittaranjan Park for more than 30 years. One of the chief reasons why domestic work is not legally protected in India is because of the inability to recognize the household space as an industry. This leaves domestic workers out of the existing labour laws of the country. The meager wages which domestic workers manage are often not enough for their daily expenses. But apart from this, they also need money to avail healthcare facilities in the case of their own sickness or of a member of the family. There is also no concept of a fund or cumulative savings for future purposes. State governments in some states have now started establishing welfare boards for domestic workers, but this is nowhere close to getting implemented nationally. In the absence of savings or government funded social security schemes, domestic workers are left worrying about their future. |
|
All work and no pay
Alma ran out of her house after she gave her 10th standard exams in search of work. After battling police and placement agencies, she finally found work in a house. But her employers, considering her a tribal girl mistreated her. She could only take it for so long. Her past continues to haunt her. But Alma hasn't lost courage. She now goes and meets other girls like her and mobilises them to fight for their rights. Domestic workers get stuck at one place of work and cannot leave it until they find new work, which is difficult to come by because of the abundant supply of domestic workers and the establishment of trust on older workers. Domestic work remains one of the few professions where the concept of weekly off is simply not there. There is no provision of sick leave or maternity benefits but instead the fear of losing one’s job. |
|
'They brought me here'
Salmi was only 11 when she was brought to Delhi from Assam by an agent called Philip. She lost the paper on which Philip's number was written and could never contact him. After living at her employer's house in Pitampura for four years, Salmi doesn't remember her mother tongue. She couldn't remember where her house was when she finally decided to run out of her employers' house on March 30th, 2015. The sexual harassment law, following Vishakha judgement, does not apply to domestic workers. Live in workers are often trafficked by agents with the promise of employment. After placing these girls/women in affluent houses, these placement agencies abdicate themselves of all responsibility. The workers are often not allowed to go out or keep in touch with anyone. Reports also highlight the abuse in transit, by the agents who bring these workers to the cities. |
|