The beginning of June this year has brought a surprise to the domestic workers in Karnataka. The state has come up with a notification, which ensures minimum wages for the domestic workers. According to the notification, a domestic worker who works for eight hours in a house is entitled to an amount between Rs 1,600 and Rs 1,800 per month. But if the members of the household where the work is done are more than four, the charges will go up to Rs 2,200. If she/he works more than eight hours, they have to be paid double the rate.

An estimated 100,000 people work as domestic labour in the Bangalore city. Many a time the workers are engaged in performing single chores like washing, sweeping or cleaning. A worker performing a single chore for 45 minutes will now have to be paid Rs 150 per month. "We are not completely satisfied with the order," says Ruth Manorama, the Adviser to the Domestic Workers Union (Bangalore Gruha Karmikara Sangha). "But we are happy because at least a domestic worker is assured of a fixed wage. They were working for extremely poor wages," she adds.

In 1987, the unions helping the cause of domestic workers in Karnataka had begun their struggle demanding inclusion of domestic labour in the scheduled list of employment. According to the Minimum Wages Act, the government notifies minimum wages only to workers in the scheduled sectors. Though the unions achieved their goal on 3 January 1992, to their dismay, 'domestic work' was arbitrarily removed from the schedule on 22 November 1993. 'Domestic work' reappeared in the schedule only in 2004. Karnataka is one of the first states in the country to fix wages for domestic workers. The unions were taken into confidence before fixing the minimum wages.

For the thousands of domestic workers in Karnataka, the order comes as a boon. But how far the rule will be implemented is a big question. It seems to be an uphill task for the Labour Department. Will its inspectors visit every household that employs domestic workers? The officials of the Labour Department are positive. They feel that the labour inspectors and senior level inspectors can handle the job.

"We are demanding enumeration of the domestic workers," says Ruth Manorama. "But more than that what is required is wide publicity of the notification," she says. According to her, it should be publicised in both the print and visual media so that the employers would be aware of the order.

Majority of the domestic workers are illiterate and most of them are not members of any union. Who will take the responsibility of making them aware of such a beneficial order? In such a situation, one has to wait and see how successful the implementation of this order will be.