Kathmandu, June 16
Though the government has set a minimum wage for domestic workers as well, only eight per cent employers of Kathmandu Valley know the provision, a survey reveals.
In the survey done by the Swatantrata Abhiyan Nepal and the Domestic Workers Forum from March to May this year in four local units of Kathmandu Valley, only eight per cent of 200 employers said they knew the provision.
The government requires that all workers of informal sector, which also includes domestic workers, should be paid at least Rs 9,700 a month.
The study, however, found out that most of the employers know that children should not be employed in work.
“Of total respondents, 68 per cent said they know that child labour is a crime,” Writu Bhatta of the SAN said sharing the findings.
Likewise, 19.5 per cent employers know provisions about maximum working hours whereas 11 per cent have knowledge that every worker should be given at least one day off every week.
The knowledge about trade union rights of domestic workers among employers is very low as only 1.5 per cent know that they should be given an opportunity to form organisations, the report revealed.
Other speakers of the programme including trade union activists, domestic workers, employers, recruitment agents and government officials stressed the need to implement labour rules for domestic workers as well.
The study was done in Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Lalitpur Metropolitan City, Bhaktapur Municipality and Budhanilakantha Municipality in coordination with the respective local governments.
