Maids are upset, firstly most of them are not allowed to enter housing societies. Secondly they ask what about employers test reports will they show it, the way they have been asked to show their rest reports?
By Varun Singh
If one resides in a metro city like Mumbai, then the person knows the importance of a maid.
However, in the wake of Coronavirus, many housing societies have shut their gates for the maids.
Many housing societies have even asked their maids to get COVID 19 test done and show the reports that they are negative.
Only then are they shall allow maids to work at their societies.
This has upset the maids, not that they feel asking report is wrong, but the way they are being treated is what they feel is wrong.
They have a question to the housing societies, and to their employers in regards to the COVID 19 test reports.
“We are ready to show our test reports, are you going to show test reports of every individual at the home where we will work?” They say what if the employers or any of the members at the home they work are infected?
Babli Rawat, General Secretary of Domestic Workers Federation has called the move by most of the housing societies as discriminatory.
“Many societies want maids to come to work, bring their test reports and stay back at their place. What about the member of those homes, are they going to test everyday and show report when they return from office or outside?” asked Rawat.
According to Rawat, the poor are being troubled for something they are not even remotely responsible for.
“This disease came from the rich people who travelled to foreign countries, and then it got transmitted in slums and other areas. The maids are not even allowed to work in societies they are being returned from gate these days this is bad,” she said.
Most maids in metro cities don’t work at one house, to run their home they work at multiple households throughout the day. Thus Rawat says staying at one home is neither possible nor economically feasible.
Many housing societies have asked their domestic workers to not report to work till June 30. Maharashtra has imposed a lockdown in the state till then.
