The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Domestic workers form cooperative

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 26, 2007
ePaper

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Domestic workers form cooperative

Special Correspondent

It acts as a placement agency

The cooperative has come up with a draft contract
17 workers have been placed so far

BANGALORE: Domestic workers are the most unorganised among unorganised sector workers. Absence of work contract and standards on work conditions and wages, there is hardly any accountability on the part of the employer or the employee.

A co-operative venture by domestic workers in J.P. Nagar and Jayanagar areas of Bangalore is a rare effort at bringing some semblance of order into this unorganised area of work.

Called Mahila Seva, the co-operative has a pool of skilled domestic help who are placed either as part-time or full time employees on demand in these two areas. What sets it apart from other placement agencies is that it is a non-commercial venture and is run by workers.

It makes employment contractual with obligations for employers and employees. The contract drawn up stipulates a minimum wage of Rs. 450 for one hour of work and a mandatory weekly off. The employer has to provide a bus pass if the distance to place of work is over 5 km, besides ensuring respectable working conditions. The workers come with either experience and references of the earlier employees or are trained in housekeeping by the Karnataka Domestic Workers’ Union, which runs the cooperative. While the cooperative will merely introduce the worker for a fee of Rs. 500, it takes up greater responsibility for a fee of Rs. 1,200. For example, it promises to find replacement if the worker does not turn up for four days or more at a stretch and negotiate in case of a rift. Shakuntala, co-ordinator of the co-operative, says it has placed about 17 workers so far and more and more calls are coming in from other areas as well. Efforts are on to network with other non-governmental organisations and extend the service to other areas. “But this will be at least a few months before we can come up with anything concrete,” says Geetha Menon of Stree Jagruthi Samiti, a non-governmental organisation.

The most significant aspect of this venture, says Ms. Menon, is it creates a record of employment, which is unprecedented in the area of domestic work. She points out that the latest notification on minimum wages for domestic workers has fixed Rs. 2,080 a month for eight hours of work a day. It is Rs. 261 for one hour of work a day. “What is unfair is this includes not just sweeping and washing, but also child care, which is specialised task,” she says.

However, a study by Stree Jagruti Samiti on the average monthly expenses of a domestic worker’s family in a slum last year showed the wage stipulated does not cover food, housing, medical and other needs. It showed that a family in a Bangalore slum spends Rs. 5,189 a month.

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