The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Domestic workers want minimum wages hiked

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Saturday, Feb 02, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Domestic workers want minimum wages hiked

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: The annual general body meeting of the Karnataka Domestic Workers’ Union saw a spirited participation from over 500 workers from Bangalore here on Friday.

Among the subjects discussed was the demand for decent living wages, weekly day off and the setting up Domestic Workers’ Welfare Board on the lines of the one set up for workers in the construction sector.

While the Karnataka Government has set a minimum wage for domestic workers at Rs. 450 a month for one hour’s work each day, many of the domestic workers vociferously demanded that it be raised to at least Rs. 600. Hamsaveni, a domestic worker from Koramangala, said that with the constant rise in the price of essential commodities, house rent and cost of children’s education, it was impossible to make ends meet at Rs. 450. “The smallest house in Bangalore costs no less than Rs. 1,500 and we pay Rs. 45 a litre for kerosene,” she said.

Vasant Kumar Hittanagi from the Labour Department said that fixing of minimum wages for domestic workers was an achievement in itself, done only in Kerala besides Karnataka. He suggested that certain procedures, such as giving wage slips, should be enforced to make domestic work more organised. A welfare board for them could be set up if more workers joined hands and brought pressure, he said.

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