Describing the many steps forward and backward in the pursuit of a Bill on domestic workers and the growing strength and solidarity of women workers as they confront the government, demanding implementation of a recently enacted legislation, Rupa Kulkarni gives an account of the relentless struggle of domestic workers in Nagpur for the enactment of policies that uphold and protect the dignity of domestic workers.

In 1978, domestic workers were called servants, and never workers. This made a great difference, so far as their minimum wages, service conditions and other benefits were concerned. All these concepts were totally absent in this field. The exploitation, therefore, at the hands of employers in three ways-work-wise, gender-wise and caste-wisewas tremendous. In those days, domestic workers would get only Rs 5 each for cleaning the vessels and washing the clothes and Rs 2 to 3 for sweeping. These were monthly wages and not daily wages. Most of them worked through the day at 7 to 8 places, and suffered from malnutrition, severe anaemia, back-ache and skin infections.

On 30 December 1980, all the women domestic workers, who had often sat together and discussed their situation, decided to march to the collector of Nagpur and submit a charter of demands. For the first time in the history of Nagpur city, around 400 domestic workers marched the streets to claim their rightful demands. The memorandum included: 1) annual increment 2) one weekly-off 3) bonus and festival gifts 4) medical aid and medical leave 5) recognition as a worker.

The next day, at a press conference, the workers articulated their main demand-the inclusion of domestic work in the list of scheduled employments. Whereas there was great excitement among the workers about having a platform to speak, the employer class was very disturbed and annoyed. The resentment was mainly towards the new organization that the domestic workers had formed. Many wrote letters about this in almost all newspapers. Debates started and the reactions were varied and very strong.

Meetings were held on various occasions to strengthen the organisation, which was named Vidarbha Molkarin Sanghatana (VMS).

As an outcome of these continuous agitations, the Maharashtra government had no alternative but to draft a Bill for the protection of house workers, numbering lakhs. A draft was completed in 2004, but it was delayed further due to procedural requirements and was not placed in the Assembly. Then elections were held, and a new government was formed; a new labour minister took over.

The agitation continued. On 15 December 2006, a delegation met the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Vilasrao Deshmukh, and handed over a memorandum asking the government to create a Board for house workers. On 9 October 2007, a massive rally of thousands of women house workers was held at Variety Square, Nagpur; the workers demanded that a Board be set up to look after their welfare and that they be given pension.

On 18 November 2007, on the eve of the Nagpur session (the winter session of Maharashtra Assembly is held in Nagpur), VMS took out a morcha and again reminded the chief minister about the Bill for house workers. He asked for six months time to place the Bill in the state Assembly.  Six months later, as is the practice, prior to the Assembly session, when the chief minister announced in a press conference the list of bills to be taken up during the session, the house workers` Bill was not on the list. In protest, the members of VMS again gathered at the All India Radio Square in thousands and courted arrest on 17 March 2008. The last big demonstration of the strength of the organisation was seen by the people on 14 December 2008 in Chitnis Park, Nagpur, in a Kashtkari Mahila Parishad, which was attended by over 15,000 house workers. It was addressed by the then central minister, Renuka Choudhary, and other dignitaries.

In the centre, the Lok Sabha Committee for Social Security for Unorganised Workers also decided to draft a Bill for an umbrella legislation that would provide social security measures. After much debate, the Bill was ready in 2006 and country-wide discussions started about some lacunae in it. The VMS also took part in these discussions. Meanwhile, a pension of Rs 500 was announced by the Prime Minister for the unorganised sector and for people above 65 years on the birth anniversary of Late Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi, in November 2007. The scheme was called Indira Gandhi Nivrtti Vetan Yojana. Finally, the Bill was tabled and on 18 December 2008, it was passed.

In Maharashtra, the Bill for house workers, named Mah Rajya Gharelu Kamgar Kalyankari Mandal Vidheyak, was tabled in the winter session of the Legislative Assembly in Nagpur and passed on 27 December 2008 in the lower house and on 29 Dec 2008 in the upper house unanimously.

The main hurdle was, thus, crossed and the Act for the creation of a welfare board for house workers came into existence in Maharashtra after a long struggle. But the government did not implement it throughout 2009. The house workers are now, once again, ready to agitate in the coming session of the Assembly on 7 December 2009 for the implementation of the Act immediately without any further delay.

Thus, after 30 years of struggle, domestic workers now have the courage to speak openly about various injustices and, sometimes, about the atrocities committed against them. Although no minimum wage has been fixed as yet, domestic workers are now demanding decent returns for the volume of work they do. This bargaining power is adding to their strength as workers, thereby enhancing the value of their work. Together they are solving general problems of the bastis (slum settlements) effectively. Through the VMS, a new leadership of working class women is emerging.

The ILO and the Need for a Convention

If the ILO desires real progress of these marginalised workers, a humanitarian approach alone will not do. The work of a domestic worker should be regarded as an essential service, and like other essential services, that is, hospitals, electricity and water supply, and telephone services. The intervention of the ILO in this direction will definitely change the picture.

Hereafter, the term, `minimum wages` should be replaced by the term, `living wages`, which will provide a certain standard of living to all these workers.

The blueprint of the Act, which paves the way for the creation of a welfare board for house workers, registration and various benefits for domestic workers in Maharashtra may be used as a model, nationwide.