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Dimapur, Sep. 24 (EMN): Left without any work for six months straight, domestic workers in Nagaland have turned to the central government, via the Lok Sabha MP from Nagaland Tokheho Yepthomi, for financial aid.
Addressing a press conference in Dimapur on Thursday, the director of Assisi Centre for integrated Development and co-ordinator of National Domestic Workers’ Union (NDWM)-Nagaland Region, Sis. Pramila Lobo, said that the pandemic has left 70% of domestic workers in India without work for six months now.
There is no indication as to when the situation will ‘normalise’, she said.
The union presented a charter of demands, a copy of which has also been made available to the Lok Sabha MP from Nagaland as well as other Northeast states, so that the elected representatives can discuss the issue during the ongoing parliamentary session.
It stated that in the context of the National Disaster Management Act, the government of India has centralised all decisions regarding the implementation of lockdown and presented a revised list of items and norms of assistance from the State Disaster Response Fund/National Disaster Response Fund to be extended to “those affected by the disaster”.
Under this, it demanded that all domestic workers be provided a cash transfer of INR 6,300 per month for a period of three months (April, May, June), amounting to INR 18,600 with immediate effect.
The union demanded the central government to implement an urban employment guarantee scheme, on the lines of MGNREGS. Works that can be included under this scheme, according to the union, were: repair or construction of EWS housing; clearing of clogged drains so that storm water can run freely; service in quarantine centres or delivery of food and medicine to vulnerable people in home quarantine; and collection of data on migrants returning to work.
“In the light of the fact that the government of India is codifying Labour law, we humbly submit that although the claim was for universalisation of labour rights, a large section of the informal workers, particularly the domestic workers, continues to be excluded. This is a specific category of workers who work in private homes and hence require a separate legislation…as a platform representing such workers, we demand that comprehensive legislation for domestic workers be enacted,” it stated.
From the state government, the union demanded recognition of domestic workers as “workers”; protection against all types of harassment; social security and access to benefits; and inclusion of domestic workers in schedule of employment and thus entitled to minimum wages.
NDWM-Nagaland Region member, Aobendang shared about the plight of domestic workers in Dimapur during the lockdown.
‘Female domestic worker, who are vital to the smooth functioning of homes, had to face the lockdown with trepidation. The imposition of travel restriction from one colony to another affected their livelihood and income security due to lack of social protection.
‘They faced threat of dismissal from job when they could not report to work for fear of infection. In some cases, the employers were afraid that the domestic worker may carry the virus since they reside in groups in the colonies where sanitation and hygiene were lacking,’ he shared.
Aobendang said that the state government, general public and also many of the employers do not recognise domestic work as work and domestic workers as workers; there is no provision for weekly holiday, maternity leave and health benefits and they are not brought under the labour right or laws.
The legal advisor to All Nagaland Domestic Workers’ Union (ANDWU), Limanochet, said that the domestic workers in the state don’t have accurate job descriptions and as a result it leads to exploitations. He termed the scenario as ‘modern day slavery’. He asserted that domestic workers should have clear boundaries about the tasks they are to perform.