SHILLONG, March 28 - Domestic helpers in Meghalaya have urged State Chief Minister Conrad Sangma to ensure their welfare in the manner of the construction workers amid the ongoing national lockdown to check the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
The domestic helpers under the banner of the National Domestic Workers Movement (NDWM), Meghalaya Region and All Meghalaya Domestic Workers� Union (AMDWU) have expressed concern over their plight and written to the Chief Minister, seeking his support.
�It is sad to say that domestic workers who are facing a survival threat and the fear of losing their jobs, are compelled to perform their regular duties at the employers� houses despite the strict lockdown order issued by the Government,� Wanpynhun Kharsyntiew, advocacy officer, NDWM, Meghalaya Region, said today.
Pointing out that the domestic workers support the lockdown, Kharsyntiew said, �We really need the support of the Government to ensure that we have free rations and a basic income package so that we can feed our children, especially at this time of crisis.�
Stating that many domestic helpers have informed the organisation and the union that they have been compelled to go to work, and that some of them have also lost their jobs during the ongoing lockdown, the NDWM and AMDWU appealed to employers to understand the current situation and let the women workers abide by the regulations laid down by the Government.
