NEW DELHI: The days of domestic helps, mostly women, toiling away for a pittance may soon be over with the government giving final touches to a national policy which will prescribe a minimum salary along with other benefits like compulsory paid leave every year and maternity leave.

According to sources, the minimum salary could be pegged at Rs 9,000 per month while 15 days of paid leave a year could become the norm.

“The policy for domestic workers is under consideration. It’s premature to talk about the minimum salary. The details will be out once the policy framework is finalized. It will obviously protect the rights of domestic workers,” a top labour ministry official told TOI. The policy will soon be taken to the Cabinet for consideration.

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The legislation will include social security schemes where the employer will have to make a mandatory contribution. It will also have provisions mandating a safe work environment for domestic workers and a mechanism for redress of their grievances.

Workers and employers will also have the right to form groups and engage with each other for “collective bargaining”. Once the policy takes effect, it will be mandatory for the employer, the employee and the intermediary agency that connects the two to enter into a tripartite agreement, which will have legal sanctity.

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