Chennai: House workers can’t use loos they clean, approach the government

CHENNAI: “It is an unspoken rule to not use your employers’ toilets,” says Kalai Selvi, a domestic worker. Kalai works in three houses in a residential complex near

KK Nagar

, but every time she needs to use the toilet, she has to run down the floors to the main entrance of the building and use the one set up for watchmen and maintenance staff. “I once asked an employer if I could use theirs. She gave me a stern look and asked me to go to my

house

. She also told me to stop drinking water while working,” recalls Kalai.


Not allowed to use toilets in most of the houses they work in, women domestic workers working long hours often develop infections, says the community. Now, in a bid to make their working conditions more humane, domestic workers from across the city, with the help of organisations working for their rights and welfare, have appealed to the state

labour department

to insist that every residential complex set up separate common toilets for women.

It’s a form of discrimination, says R Geetha, advisor to the

Unorganised Workers Federation

. “This is a form of untouchability that is not spoken of but shown in practice,” she says. Geetha, along with members of the

National Domestic Workers Movement

(

NDWM

), met officials from the labour department on Friday and submitted their petition with a list of demands insisting on the need to pass a comprehensive legislation to outline and protect the rights of domestic workers.

While basic amenities such as setting up separate latrines and urinals are spelled out for women working in factories, mines, plantations, and as contract workers, there are none for domestic workers. “There is currently no law governing their welfare,” says Geetha.

Padma Kumar

, another worker, was fired a week ago after a resident of the building she worked in saw her trying to relieve herself near the parking lot. “I couldn’t use the common toilet because it was unhygienic and only men used it. Two of my employers fired me after the complaint. I have three young children to feed, I have no idea how I’ll manage,” says Padma.

Josephine Valarmathi, president of NDWM, says many women end up developing urinary tract infections and other health complications due to denial of this basic right. “Just like how we need separate restrooms in our workplaces, they need it too. They are working women just like the rest of us.” Those working in independent houses must be allowed to use their employers’ toilets, she added. "The authorities must raise awareness about the rights of house helps with different resident associations and employers. It’s time we changed the way employers see and treat house helps,” she said.

A senior official from the labour department said the officials concerned have made note of the demands presented to them and that they are looking into it.

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