Thirty percent of domestic workers lost their jobs due to Covid-19 pandemic

@nag228

Mumbai: It is not just the big entrepreneurs, middle class people but poor domestic workers have also been hit hard due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. Around 30 per cent of the domestic workers in the state are finding it difficult to survive as they are not even able to earn bread and butter for their family. 

The women working as domestic help are facing acute financial problems as due to Corona as they are not getting jobs. Due to Corona, now these workers have to accept whatever work they get and that too with less money than what usually they use to get earlier. Corona has hit these women domestic workers hard and they have to wander to get work. Around 30 per cent jobs of the domestic workers are hit in the state.

Sunita Lokhande, a resident of Pratiksha Nagar, Sion was working as a cook at a doctor’s house. From there she was earning Rs 5000 a month. She used to work in two more houses and thus she used to earn Rs 15,000 a month. They have been at home since the lockdown. After the lockdown eased, she tried to resume her work. But due to fear of Corona, she was refused to come to work as still the cases are increasing day by day.

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Sunita Lokhande is helpless as her husband is bedridden due to ill health, so the entire responsibility of running the house is on her shoulders. She has three children. One girl is studying in college and two boys are studying in school. Sunita borrowed money and for her daughter’s admission in college. The children’s fees are yet to be paid. They are worried about how to pay the fees and bear the other expenses to meet the daily basic requirement.

There are many more like Sunita who use clean dishes, cleaning, cooking, and other household chores. The scheduled work of these workers has been shut down for the past five months of the lockdown. Now, even though the process of unlocking has started, they are being prevented from working in the old place.

“There are more than 50,000 registered domestic workers in the state. Of these, about 18,000 women have lost their jobs. 30 percent of women have lost their jobs permanently. Now we have to wander all day in search of work. Many of us even have to stand on the streets to find any temporary jobs and by which we earn 200 -300 hundred. However, this work is not permanent”, said Vandana More.  

“It is dangerous to allow outsiders into the home for family safety reasons. It is important to take the necessary precautions as the corona patient grows. We had a nanny for the dishes, meals and housework, but as a precautionary measure, we have asked the nanny to stop the work and the people in the house have divided the work”, said Sandeep Salunkhe, a businessman from Matunga.

The situation was expected to improve after the unlock. But the situation has worsened. 30 percent of domestic workers are women. The government needs to take note of this and start a monthly allowance for these women. Moreover, there is a need to create awareness among the people, said Naresh Rathore, President, All India Domestic Workers Service Organization.