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PIL urges Minimum Wages Act for domestic workers
Why is it in news?
- A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking its intervention to bring dignity to “India’s invisible workforce in the informal sector” — the domestic workers.
The Need of Minimum wage
- Latent classism and lack of education make domestic workers prone to violence and abuse at the hands of their employers and placement agencies.
- The petition asked the Supreme Court to lay down guidelines to protect the workers’ rights.
- As employment is largely through word of mouth or personal referrals , employment contracts are rarely negotiated, leaving the terms of employment to the whims of the employer.
- The petition said Indian homes have witnessed a 120% increase in domestic workers in the decade post liberalisation. While the figure was 7,40,000 in 1991, it has increased to 16.6 lakh in 2001.
- The petition sought the recognition of domestic work under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948. Their work hours should be reduced to eight a day and they should be given a mandatory weekly off as a basic right under Article 21.
Source
The Hindu