Job loss during lockdown hits domestic helps hard in Pune

By: Anjali Jhangiani
PUNE: The two-month long lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19 has adversely affected the livelihoods of domestic helps — some have lost their jobs while others stare down the barrel of inevitable financial crisis due to slashed or no salary.
“I could not show up for work since March-end. I did not get my salary for two months and thus could not pay my rent or other bills. I had to finally ask my brother for financial help,” said Sehnaz Bori, mother to two teenage boys, who used to work in 4-5 houses in Hadapsar but has lost two jobs.
While employers themselves had to endure pay cuts or lose their jobs, it was only consequential that their maids had to face the brunt of it as well.
“I used to make chapatis for a family and cook a full meal for a group of bachelors. I lost both the jobs. The family is still scared that I might bring the virus into their home. Some of the bachelors have gone home and the rest are cooking for themselves because finances are tight for everyone at the moment,” Bori said.
Some employers, on the other hand, made sure to pay their domestic helps even if they could not come to work during the lockdown.
“I work in three houses in the same society, all of them transferred my salary into my son’s bank account because I could not travel and get it myself. They called me regularly to check up on me and asked if I needed anything. The society also made arrangements to call a doctor and all the domestic helps had to go through a screening process to rule out symptoms, if any. Tests were also conducted to make sure that we were fit to join work,” said Shobha Thorat, working in NIBM Road area.
However, some housing societies are strictly against allowing entry to domestic helps in spite of the civic body’s orders that they could resume work if they were living in non-containment zones.
“I used to work as a domestic help for five houses nearby, which was the main source of income for my family. My husband does odd-jobs. When the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) gave orders to allow domestic helps to go back to work, I called my employers to inform them that I would be coming but they told me that the society had banned it. I could not even ask for my salary because I could not go, and it has become difficult to look for new jobs now,” said Lanka Potghante, who lives and work in the Yerawada area.
Pune Zilla Ghar Kamgar Sanghatana president Kiran Moghe feels that housing societies making their own rules is undemocratic and the labour department needs to be more proactive and look into this issue.
“There is a misconception that domestic workers can cause the spread of the coronavirus. On one hand, single people, the elderly, those with physical challenges and children want domestic helps to return to work, but societies are against it. People must understand what a huge impact this will have on the economy. There are at least one lakh domestic workers in Pune municipal limits and if they go back to work it will help in revival of the economy,” she said.