Villupuram MP urges Centre to enact legislation to protect rights of domestic workers

Villupuram MP calls for legislation to protect domestic workers' rights, including minimum wage regulations and social security benefits.

Villupuram Member of Parliament D. Ravikumar has urged the Union Government to enact a legislation to protect the rights of domestic workers.

In a letter addressed to Union Minister of Labour and Employment Mansukh Mandaviya, Mr. Ravikumar said the National Platform for Domestic Workers, comprising unions across the country, had been consistently campaigning for a comprehensive legislation for domestic workers.

“As many as 13 States have issued minimum wages for domestic workers and they are covered under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment at the Workplace Act. However, these measures remain inadequate due to the absence of effective implementing mechanism,” he said.

Mr. Ravikumar said the unique nature of their work, the specificity of the employer-employee relationship, and the fact that their workplace is a private household rather than a public or private establishment, have resulted in their exclusion from existing laws. Moreover, the recently introduced Labour Codes fail to address their needs and domestic workers have been specifically omitted from the Code on Occupational Health and Safety.

The MP demanded the Union Government to enact a comprehensive legislation to protect them. It should register all domestic workers in the Labour Department as an interim measure and ensure effective mechanisms are put in place for minimum wage regulations.

The Centre should also include domestic workers in ESI and PF, ensuring social security benefits for them, he added.