Servants welfare is more important but at the same time servants will get the salary for what work they are performing. If they work well automatically compensation will be given to them one year once. If government discuss about this with them and fix the right salary then everybody will give it to them.

Time for a reality check, gone are the days when ladies who work as maid servants were poor. In fact they access to almost all the basic requirements and have access to facilities such as cooking gas cylinder, access to good education for their children, they have scooters and all such things that make our lives easier. In terms of incentives we do give the diwali bonus, ganesh chaturthi bonus and many such bonuses as an when a festivity occurs. In addition they get access to 2-5 days paid leaves. Do you still think the lives of maids is very difficult. It used to be but not anymore.

Domestic maids have now become an integral and crucial parts of our lives. Without them, it is very difficult to make do. Even for a day if the maid is unable to come, the entire routine becomes topsy turvy and numerous difficulties are face. And yet, the maids are not given the respect they are due. I have seen the educated and affluent people displaying a quite arrogant attitude towards these maids. Their employers who may not be honest and sincere at their own jobs themselves and still they expect their employers to pay out handsome salaries, bonuses and incentives even though their salaries are quite good. But where it comes to raising the already meagre salaries or giving bonus to a maid, they become all uptight. The fact is, even though these people now earn good salaries, they still do not have an infrastructure or a support system to fall back in times of crisis. Usually the husbands of these women are good for nothing drunkards who simply fritter away the hard-earned money of their wives. The lady has no savings per se, no insurance of any kind nor good hospitals or clinics where she can go for treatments when she falls ill. The least we can do for them is show kindness and respect that a hard-working human being deserves. We can encourage them to save little money every day, help them open bank accounts etc. I know a few elderly women who keep tin boxes that are locked with a slot on the top. They force their maids to put a minimum of 50 or 100 rupees in that box on a daily basis and allow them to open the box only once a month. They have even taught their maids to write the accounts of expenses with money from the box and put that paper in the box. That way the money is safe from prying eyes of their husbands and they also have some money for emergencies.

all aspiring maids should be registered with employment exchange. The employers should e required to deposit some amount- howesoever small this may be considering wage hours/ remuneration in a domestic workers welfare fund. The medical and emergent needs could be met from that fund. 

all aspiring maids should be registered with employment exchange. The employers should e required to deposit some amount- howesoever small this may be considering wage hours/ remuneration in a domestic workers welfare fund. The medical and emergent needs could be met from that fund.

That is another way to ensuring welfare of the maids and the best way to go forward actually. But I wonder how many households who employ such maids would be willing to come forward and contribute to it?

all aspiring maids should be registered with employment exchange. The employers should e required to deposit some amount- howesoever small this may be considering wage hours/ remuneration in a domestic workers welfare fund. The medical and emergent needs could be met from that fund.

 

That is another way to ensuring welfare of the maids and the best way to go forward actually. But I wonder how many households who employ such maids would be willing to come forward and contribute to it?

I will personally participate in such scheme. My housemaid is working in many houses. But in time of need, generally i have to help her more. These days, she is absent because of her husband's sickness. I am personally giving her some help. If there were such state managed fund contributed by employers, I would not have to help her personally. 

All that is needed to be done is for every household to treat their maids with affection, understanding and care...No wonder that we hear of people changing maids frequently since there is no bonding between the two. My previous maid was  living in the outhouse and working in 4 -5 other houses as well, was with us  for 13 years after which she moved only because she bought land and built her own house for which we all pooled in , but keeps on visiting me often.The present maid  and her family , who has been with us for more than 2 years live in our outhouse and are almost like a part of our family and like with the previous maid I remit a part of her salary into a recurring bank deposit , also give whatever help they need with their school going son.

I am sure every house help is getting enough salary these days and the shortage of house help has made them very important no one dares to mistreat them. If you try to misbehave with your servant there are ten others waiting in queue to employ them. In our area the maid servants are in big demand and getting good salary besides the employers help them in their all problems.

Nice to hear that things are improving. 

But we need to ensure that the children are taught well, and they get to read things far better than their mothers.  This needs to be done urgently and we need to ensure that the Government schools, get some support or the other.

For example, if each of the Corporates in one particular area, were to donate just two computers to the local municipality school, each such school will have many computers and the children of our servant maids will do far better -- they will become computer literate. 

Many such initiatives are called for.  If something has already been done, please do highlight those, as we can learn from successful experiences.

Many IT giants do ask for voluntary donations for school kits and every year many children get access to books, school uniform and so on. I think this is the least we can all contribute to improve the plight of children of maid servants.