Domestic workers: the flip side
Many women liberation outfits and NGOs are quite (rightly or wrongly) vocal about the rights of the domestic female workers popularly known as maid servants. These 'right outfits' incite them to serve certain interests and make the domestic workers more hostile towards the employers. However, many incidents of abuse, violence etc have been reported in the print and electronic media. We condemn the incidents and demand impartial enquiry and justice.
But blatant acts of blackmailing, emotional extortion by the domestic house workers are also very much true and rampant. It is more prevalent among the female house workers, especially in dual working households. The domestic workers literally hold the employers hostage. Let me tell you our story. We are working couples with a working son. So, the maids or 'buas' do not have to cook for lunch, except for themselves. They only serve simple breakfast, afternoon tea and 'not so sumptuous' dinner. Our present maid demanded a raise after three months of employment. We argued that it was not the norm. One normally gets an increment after one year of service and sometimes earlier for rendering extra ordinary service. Later on, we relented as she threatened a 'walk out' and paralyse our household. She again resorted to the same blackmailing tactic after two months! They are more interested to watch TV, talk over the telephone etc than performing their duties! A state of stress and tension prevails in the household. During Eid time they demanded 'expensive' ornaments which are not commensurate with their social and economic status. They fashion themselves as the TV actresses! They live, eat and dress well, still they are not happy and satisfied. They earn and save more than the garment workers who live in filthy slums, hardly eat good food or quality protein. In psychology these acts are called 'Tyranny of the poor'. Most of the 'bhabis' will narrate similar true stories.
Sometimes the maids express annoyance if asked to cook more dishes! They complain " Apnader bashay onek kam'! In most of the households, negligence of duty by the maid servants leads to quarrel and sometimes acts of violence by the employers (which we do not support). Appeasement has got a limit too. We wish we could manage without 'them'.
We, the tormented, request DS to run a neutral story of the blackmailed and tormented households. After all, both the sides should be heard!
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