Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

District-level welfare board for domestic workers on the anvil

Staff Reporter

Only 41,000 of 15 lakh women have registered themselves till date

— Photo: G. Moorthy

Help is at hand: V. Jayamani, secretary, Tamil Nadu Domestic Workers’ Welfare Board, speaking in Madurai on Friday.

MADURAI: District-level offices of the Tamil Nadu Domestic Workers’ Welfare Board would soon be established to expedite disbursal of welfare measures to workers, said V. Jeyamani, its secretary, here on Friday.

Addressing a consultation meeting on ‘Organising and advocating for the rights of women domestic workers,’ Mr. Jeyamani said that the board would work for the welfare and betterment of women. He also urged the domestic labourers and non-governmental organisations to come forward to register with the board so that they could enjoy the welfare measures and benefits that were due to them.

Mr. Jeyamani also noted that though the domestic workers’ welfare organisations claimed that there were about 15 lakh women involved in various forms of domestic work, only 41,000 had registered themselves with the board.

Addressing the gathering, P. Veeramma, organiser, Vaigai Vattram Domestic Workers’ Union, said that the Government should take steps to involve the District Labour Office so that any dispute would be dealt within the purview of labour laws.

She said that the Labour Office should collect a deposit from those who wanted to employ a domestic help; if the domestic workers lost their jobs they could be given compensation from it. A 52-year-old woman, M. Prema of Vaigai Vattram, who continues to work as domestic worker for more than a decade, urged the board to solve two main problems — fear of constant suspicion and sexual harassment.

The participants urged the Government to take steps either to sanction funds for the board or assimilate one per cent of house tax for its functioning.

The meeting passed resolutions demanding due social recognition, minimum wages and pension, formation of district-level committees to monitor sexual harassment and physical torture and ban of child labour and obscene representation of domestic workers in cinema and posters.

The meeting was jointly organised by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, India Office, Centre for Women’s Development and Research and Manushi- Domestic Workers’ Union.

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