Domestic workers’ union urges Supreme Court to reconsider minimum wages petition

In the context of the Supreme Court dismissing a writ petition seeking minimum wages and welfare measures for domestic workers, the Domestic Workers’ Rights’ Union (DWRU) has urged the apex court to reconsider the decision and reopen the case.

In a press meet in Bengaluru, domestic workers called for a full and proper hearing, and inclusive dialogue.

‘Inadequate engagement’

“By dismissing a collective petition brought by women domestic workers, the court has set aside decades of organising and struggle without adequate engagement with the evidence on record, or the constitutional implications of excluding domestic workers from enforceable labour protections,” said an open letter from the union.

“As women trade union leaders and workers, we feel deeply affronted that our claims – grounded in equality, dignity, non-discrimination, and freedom from exploitation – were not examined through a substantive constitutional lens, but instead filtered through prevailing social assumptions that prioritise patriarchal values, and family and domestic security, and place employers’ convenience above workers’ rights even while speculating that recognising minimum wages may reduce jobs or lead to litigation,” it further stated.

What CJ said

On January 29, while hearing the plea, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant held the trade unions responsible for ‘stopping the industrialisation growth in the country’. While taking up the petition, which also sought to ensure minimum wages for domestic workers, he remarked that ‘every household will be in litigation’.

“The fact that such statements are coming from those who are responsible for safeguarding the constitutional rights of people is deeply hurting and humiliating,” said Geeta Menon, general secretary at DWRU, Karnataka. She pointed out that the petition sought only the minimum wages, and not even living wages.

Battle will not end here

Sangeeta, a domestic worker from Bengaluru, said that the PIL was filed on behalf of several lakhs of domestic workers who have been facing multiple issues over the years.

“We demand a process that engages domestic workers as citizens and rights-bearers. Despite limited resources, the trade unions will continue to organise, resist, and fight until justice is won,” the union stated.