LAHORE: “Domestic Work is among the most vital functions of households and society as a whole. It is also one of the lowest-paid jobs, and at the same time with long and unpredictable working hours. Domestic workers make a critical contribution to families, societies and economies across the world. Implementing the Punjab Domestic Workers Act 2019 in letter in spirit, the Punjab govt. should frame rules of business without further delay for effective implementation of the law, register domestic workers with PESSI, issue social security cards to workers and increase their wages in proportion to the rising inflation. The barely minimum wages don’t commensurate with their work output”.
These demands were made by the participants of May Day 2024 rally, organized in connection with International Labor Day, today (Wednesday) by Women Domestic Workers Union-Punjab, in collaboration with WISE (women in struggle for Empowerment) here at Lahore Press Club. A large number of women domestic workers joined the rally led by leaders of Women Domestic Workers Union. The participants were chanting slogans and carrying banners and placards inscribed with demands in favor of domestic workers.
Speaking to the rally participants on this occasion, Ms. Bushra Khaliq, Executive Director WISE, said women domestic workers are particularly vulnerable to discrimination in respect of working conditions, terms of employment and to other abuses of human rights. They are forced to face issues like long and unlimited working hours, violence and multiple forms of abuse at work, forced/child labor, lack of minimum wage, labor inspection and law enforcement. Despite the domestic workers law in Punjab, they are not being registered with PESSI. She urged the Punjab Govt. to frame rules of business without further delay for effective implementation of the law by reflecting it in the schedule 2 of Punjab Government Rules of Business, 2001 and to make all the rules as prescribed under Section 2(q) read with Section 38 of the Act of 2019 to enable the departments concerned to applicable the law in letter and spirit.
President of the DWs union Shenaz Ajmal and general secretary Shenaz Fatima speaking on the occasion demanded of the govt. to increase their wages in proportion to the rising inflation and implement the minimum wage notification 2023. They said the Punjab Employees Social Security Institute (PESSI) to register DWs and issue them social security cards. Maternity leave for women Domestic workers be made 12-weeks instead of 6-weeks, they demanded adding that domestic workers be registered with EOBI and provided cheap transport facility.
