Hyderabad, April 10 2007:  The government is likely to issue a final notification very soon to fix minimum wages for domestic workers. According to the notification, domestic helps should be paid Rs 1,950 per month if they work for eight hours a day.  Domestic helps have to be paid Rs 122 a month if they work for half-an-hour a day in a house. They should be paid Rs 244 per month if they work for an hour every day, and Rs 366 for one-and-a-half hours of work a day. The notification mentions cleaning of vessels, washing, sweeping and swabbing as domestic work.

“We received many suggestions and objections after the publication of draft notification in November last year. All the valid points will be incorporated in the final notification,” said Mr R. Karikal Valaven, commissioner of employment and training. Women’ organisations are opposing the notification saying that the wages are very meagre and will not be of use to domestic helps, most of whom are women. The All India Democratic Women Association (AIDWA) which conducted a survey in Hyderabad found that more than 5 lakh domestic workers were leading a pathetic life in the city.

“We are organising agitations all over the State from April 17 for more wages, ESI health cards and insurance schemes,” said Ms T. Jyoti, State AIDWA president. Ms Jyoti said that the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka governments were able to implement minimum wages for domestic helps in their States, but the Andhra Pradesh government had failed to implement payscales to benefit the domestic workers.