“We are invisible to our employers and to the government”
Domestic work is not recognized with so much of dignity and respect. Over 94 percent of India's working population is part of the unorganised sector, 50% of which are women. Domestic workers comprise a significant part of the workforce in informal employment and are among the most vulnerable groups of workers. This workforce is among the most highly vulnerable group of workers in the country because they are invisibilised as labour and systematically excluded from the rights guaranteed under India’s four Labour Codes.
Domestic worker is the second identity of these women and as a worker it become very important to know their rights. A workshop has been organised for the women domestic workers of Harijan Basti, Gurugram. The workshop was conducted by Mrs. Anita Kapoor (Secretory of Sehri Gharelu Kamgaar Union) and has been working with women domestic workers from the past 20 years.
The workshop started by asking women domestic workers about their work and the recognition our Constitution gives to them.
Women domestic workers were explained about India’s role in the Geneva Agreement during the ILO Convention. They were made aware about how India is one of the countries who agreed to provide social security to the informal sector through equal pay for men and women and fixed and fair wages for all.
The discussion was further probed by the facilitator with the women about the reality on the ground. The women participants agreed that there are still women in the various divisions of the informal sector that get paid lesser than men. Other rights for the informal sector under the convention include social security in terms of health benefits and pension is an illusion for many informal sector women especially women domestic workers. In between the discussion, Sonia, a women domestic worker said, “humein ek din ki to chutti milti nahi hai, insaano k tarah to vyavhar hota nahi hai. Ye yojnae to bahot door ki baat hain” (We even don’t get one day leave; we are not treated as humans. These schemes and laws are far from the reality).
The reason behind not getting benefits of any kind of social security schemes is the lack of recognition of domestic work as ‘work’ and domestic workers as ‘workers’. Lack of recognition as workers is not only limited to social security benefits but in reality, it is also linked with safety at workplace. The word safety does not go single handily, it is closely related with power dynamics and hostility at the workplace. Women domestic worker shared some of their experiences of workplace sexual harassment.
“Carlton wale building mei ladki ko niyokta ne neeche phek diya tha” (In Carlton, one employer shoved her domestic worker from the building), said one of the participants.
Another participant added, “Ek aur jagah pe gharelu kaamgaar ko pankhe se latka diya tha” (At one place, domestic worker was hanged to the ceiling fan)
Discussion was further moved to challenges faced by full-time and part time domestic workers. For this many domestic workers said that full time is worst. The facilitator informed domestic workers about their rights as full time or part time workers. For full-time and living domestic workers, the employers are supposed to give a proper room, food, safety, and medical support. Women domestic workers reflected that this does not happen anywhere and domestic workers like us are made to sleep in kitchens, balconies and sometimes with pets in the house.
The facilitator then asked the women domestic workers about their say in deciding the salary. Most of the women said that they don’t have any bargaining power and they have to agree to whatever their employer offers. The Pandemic situation has worsened the situation, the women who used to work for 5000 rupees are now working at the half of it, said Madhumita (a women domestic worker)
Domestic workers were made aware about their rights by comparing the notion of workplace with their employers. Domestic workers do not get compensated for over-time work and most the places they are not even given paid leaves. The law for informal workers clearly says that a worker must be compensated double of his/her daily wage if they work over-time but this is not the case for domestic workers.
The facilitator then moved the discussion towards the socialization of women into domestic work. She asked, “Kya mard bhi kothiyo mei kaam karte hai?” ( Do men also work in bunglows). One of the women replied, “Pehle jab humne kaam shuru kiya tha tab nhi dekha kissi mard ko, par ab dekhte hai”( When we have started there was no men domestic worker but now there are very few)
The facilitator then discussed with the workers how they decided that they want to do domestic work as a profession. Many women replied that they have seen and learned from their mothers the daily tasks of the house. Therefore, they were comfortable with performing the same tasks in someone else’s house to earn a living. Some of them replied that they felt that domestic work is probably safer than working in a factory or at a construction site.
The facilitator concluded the session by explaining the need of including domestic work as work and domestic worker as workers. Need of unionizing and power of collectivizing can help them to gain bargaining power. The notion of domestic work must be cleared in the mind of women domestic workers so that they see it as a professional work, and they must realize that as a worker and as a citizen they have rights and responsibilities.
Women left the room by saying, “We are domestic workers, we are workers.”