A Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, DECEMBER 5
A press conference by domestic workers on Saturday saw a host of grievances they face as they try to be a part of a community that see them only as workers.
The conference was organized by the National Domestic Workers’ Movement (NDWM) and conducted in Assisi Centre for Integrated Development (ACID) in Dimapur. The conference was hosted by the Nagaland Domestic Workers Union (NDWU), which has been working for the Rights and privileges of the domestic workers since 2008.
The NDWU, which is also an associate union of National Domestic Workers Federation (NDWF), works for the welfare and working conditions of women and girl children who work as domestic helpers.
During the conference, the members, all domestic workers, spoke about the problems and various issues they face as ‘employees’ of households.
The domestic workers regretted their salaries and the work load rendered by them with no holidays and with no job security with an exception of few employees who were satisfied with their earnings and their kind of job.
State coordinator, Nagaland Domestic Workers’ Movement (NDWM), Sr. Therese Vanlalhtuaii who has been working with the union for years spoke on the rights needed by the employees and a law that is still yet to be implemented for the welfare of the domestic workers of the country.
Nagaland Domestic Workers’ Union has around 678 union members and over 2600 registered members in collaboration with the rest of the country. All the unions over the years has been fighting and lobbying collectively for the promotion and protection of their rights to freedom of association for collective bargaining, decent working conditions, and protection against all forms of abuse, harassment and violence, to access social security benefits, courts and tribunals etc.
President of NDWU, Anita who is a domestic worker by profession said she earns an amount of Rs. 2000 a month which is not sufficient to even provide proper meals to her children and payment of school fees.
Some union members also highlighted on the need for children to work while objecting the Child Labour Act as their salary is not enough to run the family.
The workers also demanded that policy makers should not only make policies for the concerned workers but should implement National legislation for the group inorder to avail proper working hours, fixed salaries, etc.
During the conference it was also made known that India is the 18th signatory of International Labour Organization Conference.
Recently the NDWU organized a signature campaign in Dimapur where hundreds took part in the campaign.
Also, Sister Therese Vanlalhtuaii will be attending a national level conference which will be held at New Delhi on December 8, and the 9th and the 10th. On behalf of the workers, she will represent Nagaland and take with her signatures of 17,109 domestic workers.
