New Delhi: The Labour Ministry is working on a new policy framework to provide social security coverage to domestic help and a proposal in this regard would be moved to Cabinet soon, an official said.
A presentation on the same has also been made to Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya a week ago.
“We are working on it, it is at a very advanced stage. We made a presentation to the Labour Minister also a week ago. The contours of the policy is that we are trying to bring the domestic workers under the fold of organised workers,” a senior Labour Ministry official said.
According to the official, a proposal would be moved to the Cabinet in about a fortnight.
“Once the framework is finalised, it will be brought to the cabinet. The cabinet note can be moved in about a fortnight,” said the official.
When asked about the new policy, the Labour Minister said that his ministry wants to bring domestic workers under regulation and give them social security benefits because they work under very different and difficult conditions.
“We have to consider about their working conditions, their working hours and about their wages. Specially we want to give women security about their job prospects, decent working as well as living condition,” the official said.
The official added that domestic workers too should have the right to bargain and they equally deserve social security benefits.
But the official made it clear that domestic workers will have to abide by the rules framed under the new policy and they just cannot leave a job as and when they wish to do so.
“That will not be possible. If you have to get some benefits then you have to come under some regulation. They have to be organised, they have to be under a system,” said the official.
