the goan I network
PANAJI
The Goa Domestic and Migrant Workers’ Forum, a union registered with the Goa Labour Commission, will march on May Day (May 1) making a demanding to settle some of their grievances, including fixation of minimum wage and setting up of a welfare board.Announcing this, Marielou Barboza, the coordinator of the union, said that the neglected community was hoping to raise awareness about their plight on International Workers’ Day.
“Since most often the domestic workers are illiterate, they are often exploited and their work is undervalued, underpaid and poorly regulated. This attitude towards the domestic workers often results in lack of decent wages, poor work conditions, abuse, and sexual harassment at workplace and lack of welfare measures,” Barboza said.
“The Government of Goa has neither fixed minimum wage for domestic workers under the Minimum Wages Act-1948 nor has set up the Welfare Board under SS ACT-2008 as is done in other states,” she said, adding that the other demands of setting up the Welfare Board for domestic workers, their registration, a special budget for social security as well as other benefits like bonus, pension and future security schemes would also be highlighted on May 1.
National Domestic Workers Movement has been working with domestic workers, child domestic workers and migrant domestic workers for the past 31 years in 16 states including Goa. The Goa union was registered on November 2, 2017 under the Labour Commission of Goa.
There are 12 states that have brought the domestic workers under the Minimum Wages Act 1948 and have also constituted the State Social Security Boards under the Unorganized Workers Social Security Act 2008. In Goa, besides the migrants, there is a large number of local domestic workers.
Steps have been taken by the Centre to provide legal protection and social security by including domestic workers under the Unorganized Workers’ Social Security Act.
