Cabinet to take up policy for domestic workers

In the pipeline for long,the Union Cabinet will this week take up for approval the first-ever national policy for domestic workers

In the pipeline for long,the Union Cabinet will this week take up for approval the first-ever national policy for domestic workers which will bring millions of domestic workers under the purview of existing labour laws,entitling them to minimum wages,defined work hours,weekly-offs,paid annual and sick leave and maternity benefits.

Once the policy comes into effect,the state governments will have to fix a minimum wage for domestic workers who currently do not enjoy any social security protection. They will be able to avail all the rights and protection available to other workers as eight existing laws including the Minimum Wages Act,Trade Union Act,Payment of Wages Act,Workmens Compensation Act,Maternity Benefit Act,Contract Labour and Equal Remuneration Act would be amended to bring them under their purview.

According to the policy,women workers will be entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave and will be entitled to equal remuneration as men for similar work. Domestic workers will be able form trade unions or join any existing ones and will get annual paid and sick leaves. They will also get compensation for overtime,social security coverage,protection against abuse and violence,and will be entitled to a safe and healthy place to stay in and sufficient food.

At present,minimum wages vary from state to state. The Union Cabinet,however,had recently cleared a proposal of the Labour Ministry to amend the Minimum Wages Act to make the national floor level minimum wage statutory. Currently,the Centre has fixed the national floor-level at Rs 115 per day which comes to around to Rs 3,400 a month.

The Labour Ministry had set up a task force for drafting a policy for domestic workers in 2009. The Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council later came up with a set of specific recommendations.