ONLINE COMPLAINT NO. 6498/IN/2020 DT 22 MAY 2020 LODGED WITH NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, NEW DELHI AGAINST MAUD, GOVERNMENT OF TELANGANA
Subject: Complaint filed at National Human Rights Commission, New Delhi against MAUD for referring to Domestic Workers at para 2 as “domestic help including maids and house help”, at para 4 as “household help including maids, domestic help”, and at para 5 as “domestic help services including maids” in Memo 3654/General/2020 dated 6 May 2020 and repeating the same in 3654/General/2020 dated 18 May 2020.
References:
1. Our notice to MAUD Secretary, Government of Telangana dated 9th May 2020.
2. Unorganized workers and Social Security Act 2008;
3. ILO C189, Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189), Article 1(a)
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Dear Dr LUBNA SARWATH, Socialist Part India,
The Commission has recieved your complaint and it has assigned diary number as 6498/IN/2020 with the following details:
Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Government of Telangana
issued Memo No. 3654/General/2020 Dated: 06-05-2020 that referred to
Domestic Workers at para 2 as ‘domestic help including maids and house help’, at para 4 as ‘household help including maids, domestic help’, and at para 5 as ‘domestic help services including maids’.
Socialist Party (India) issued a notice to MAUD Department on 9 May 2020 to refrain from such indignified references and use the legal term with due respect as Domestic Worker.
Yet, MAUD failed to respond to our notice. And, repeats the transgression and issues Memo Memo No. 3654/General/2020 dated 18 May 2020 with same references as at para 1 and 2 as ‘domestic help including maid’ instead of referring as Domestic Worker.
Both the Memos were issued relating to allowing of domestic workers to stop, continue or resume their works with regards to lockdown guidelines.
As per Unorganized Workers Social Security Act 2008, Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act 2013 and as per ILO C189 – Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189), Article 1 “(a) the term domestic work means work performed in or for a household or households; (b) the term domestic worker means any person engaged in domestic work within an employment relationship;”
Further, as per Domestic workers Welfare and Social Security Bill 2017, the same above definition has been adopted.
We pray for the following:
1. MAUD Telangana should re-issue the Memo duly referring to Domestic Workers and apologizing for earlier indignified references.
2. Telangana government must have the Domestic Workers and Social Security Bill 2017 passed in the Telangana assembly immediately.
3. Government of India must have the Domestic Workers and social security Bill 2017 passed in parliament immediately.
4. Allot funds for a scheme under the existing or the new Act for release of funds to compensate for lack of salaries for last two months and in absence of any scheme particularly for Domestic Workers.
5. Order for re-usable three-layered face masks, hand wash for domestic workers free of cost, so that they are adequately protected at their workplaces from their employers, where they have to do cleaning work viz., cloth washing, dishwashing, cleaning the floor, cooking, etc.
We have observed that this has been the trend across India that Domestic Workers are referred to as maids, helps, and also looked upon as a source of Covid-19 spreader because they go to multiple houses as their workplaces.
Instead of handling the challenge that comes not due to domestic workers but due to DW going to multple houses, the domestic workers are humiliated and not given dignity and respect of labour that they do at a risk to themselves and their families.
We trust your earliest redressal of our grievance.
Best,
Dr Lubna Sarwath
22/05/20, 10:06 am
