MSI to highlight the genuine demands of domestic workers

Montfort Social Institute (MSI) city advisory committee convener and senior journalist D Gopi underlined the need for establishing a union for domestic workers to press their genuine demands.

Speaking at a seminar organized by the MSI to highlight the demands of domestic workers and to mark the Human Rights Day here on Thursday, Gopi said that household work has never been considered work in our society.

It has always been the duty of women, wife, mother, daughter or sister to do the chores and expect no pay. In most cases, the women are forced to take up the profession of domestic helps because of poverty.

Domestic workers have no fixed wages, fixed working hours or weekly offs and have very little time to spend with their families. Majority of the domestic workers are denied medical benefits and they are the prime suspects when valuables go missing from the houses of their employers.

They are also subjected to sexual harassment at work and their hard work is seldom recognized, he says. The MSI convener wanted the government to come forward and create infrastructure for the domestic workers and their children.

Additional benefits like ESI, pension and basic rights should be provided for the domestic workers as they are facing severe hardships with meager payment by their employers, he said.

MSI city members Sherly and Amruth Raj, Minaakshi Arts and Crafts Welfare Society founder Minaakshi were also present at the seminar.