The government has initiated a move to formulate a policy for protection and welfare of domestic workers, aiming to recognise domestic help as labour and ensure their basic rights including workplace safety and minimum wage, sources said.
The policy would aim at creating a database with workers' registration and information on their permanent and work addresses.
A draft of 'Domestic Worker Protection and Welfare Policy 2014' has already been prepared, though it needs some modification, they added.
A six-member committee, comprising of representatives from employers, workers and the government, has been formed in this regard, said Minister Mujibul Haque Chunnu after a meeting at his secretariat office on Wednesday.
The committee has been asked to fine-tune the draft within the next three weeks, he said.
"We hope that we will be able to send the draft policy to the Cabinet in March for approval."
He said safety issues, including living standard, for the domestic workers at workplaces were given priority in drafting the policy.
According to the Labour Force Survey 2010, there were 1.4 million domestic workers, aged 15 years or more, who worked at houses, messes and dormitories.
The actual number of workers is much higher and increasing day by day, according to sources.
The draft policy proposed 14 years as the minimum age for domestic workers, said a labour ministry official.
It, however, relaxed the minimum age limit to 12 years for employing a domestic help for tasks not risky or harmful for his/her health and with prior approval from parents or legal guardians.
It also proposed a mandatory provision for registration of domestic helps with the designated authorities - city corporation councillor, municipality mayor and councillor, union parishad chairman and member, and executive officer or an officer appointed by him in cantonment area.
The offices of city corporation councillor, municipality mayor and union parishad chairman will prepare and preserve database of the domestic workers in their respective areas, the draft policy proposed.
The employer must inform the registration authority concerned about the appointment or termination of a domestic help.
It also said the government would take necessary steps for fixing the minimum monthly wage, and the wage would be determined through negotiation between the employee and the employer, unless the government sets the minimum wage.
The minimum wage for part-time workers would be set based on their work nature.
The employer must provide an identity card to the permanent employee with picture, and detailed information including parents name, address, contact number, age and date of appointment. The employer would keep a copy of the card and submit another copy to the local registration authority.
The draft policy also incorporates a provision of maternity leave for a total of 16 weeks with pay for female domestic workers.
It proposed provisions for decent work, work hours, leave, rest and recreation for the domestic helps.
Ministries for home affairs, labour and employment, woman and child affairs, and social welfare will give instructions to the law-enforcement agencies concerned for proper implementation of the policy.
The ministries will set the government's strategy to prevent torture on domestic helps, the draft policy said.
It also emphasised a written contract between the employer and the domestic help.
The employer will compensate a domestic worker, affected by an accident while working in the house. The authorities concerned in the city, district, upazila or union parishad will set the amount of compensation.
Bangladesh Labour Law 2006 will determine the amount of compensation, if a domestic help losses his/her working capacity, partly or fully, and for death cases originated from domestic work.
It said the government would bear the expenses of cases filed by domestic helps against the employers or his/her family members or guests on charges of sexual harassment and sexual abuse or physical or mental torture.
The draft also outlined the duties and responsibilities of employer, employee and the government.
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