Experts suggest separate law for domestic workers

Speakers at an event on Tuesday called for enacting a separate law for the country's 2.5 million domestic workers who earn the least compared to any other jobs.
They said the Domestic Workers Protection and Welfare Policy, formulated in 2015, could hardly help the workers as it was yet to be implemented.
The call came at the event organised by the Washington-based non-profit organisation Solidarity Centre, Bangladesh at a city hotel to disclose findings of a study titled "the baseline gap analysis on Bangladesh domestic work legal and policy framework and the domestic workers' protection and welfare policy 2015."
The study said child domestic workers in Bangladesh were working up to 15 hours a day. It indicated the condition prevailing in a sector employing about 2.5 million people, it added.
The study revealed that 80 per cent received lower wages than workers in other sectors while 53 per cent did not receive wages on time despite working 11 hours a day on an average.
There was no minimum wage for domestic workers. The minimum wage for readymade garment workers was Tk 8,000 and they worked eight hours a day.
About 87 per cent domestic workers did not get weekly leave or holiday, it said.
Assistant Profossor Habibur Rahman, who teaches sociology and social work at the People's University of Bangladesh, said child domestic workers often work nearly 15 hours a day.
The study said 87 per cent workers did not get wages on time while they had no legal aid facility.
'Murshida Akter, general secretary, National Domestic Women Workers Union, said 0.4 million or 16 per cent of the workers were children.
Ms Murshida alleged that domestic workers were facing so much abuse and were so vulnerable that even murder cases were settled in exchange for money ranging from Tk 25,000 to Tk 100,000.
About 80 per cent of domestic workers were women, she said.
AKM Nasim, country program director, Solidarity Centre, Bangladesh termed domestic workers as one of the most disadvantaged and marginalised groups.
The number of domestic workers and the incidence of their deprivation were increasing but there was no legal framework to protect their rights, he said.
He also said the Domestic Workers Protection and Welfare Policy formulated in 2015 could not be implemented.
He observed that the authorities should decide whether the domestic workers would have a separate law or the labour law of 2006 would suffice their need since their work is different in nature from any other workers.

tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com