The draft bill for the regulation of work by domestic workers makes Karnataka the first state in the country to introduce a framework for providing decent conditions of work, social security and welfare. The draft bill was recently notified and is presently under scrutiny by the Labour Department after collecting suggestions and changes.
Domestic workers' unions and representatives have raised several concerns about the draft bill and say the government must rectify these issues. So what does the
The Karnataka Domestic Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2025 say?
Here are some key points:
Prohibition of the employment of domestic workers without agreement.
All domestic workers must enter into a written agreement with their employer. The agreement will have to follow the minimum labour standards prescribed under the rules. The employment agreement will specify the name and other particulars, the nature of work assigned to the worker, hours of work, wages and other benefits to which the worker is entitled, including the welfare fee and other contributions.
Registration of domestic workers, employers and service providers:
All domestic workers in the state will have to be registered as beneficiaries under the Act. If the domestic worker is illiterate and a migrant, the service provider, placement agency, and employers have to compulsorily register such domestic workers on their behalf with the authorities within 30 days from the commencement of employment/recruitment of any domestic workers. Each registered entity shall be given a unique identification number.
Registration of service provider and employer:
All service providers have to register themselves before recruiting or employing domestic workers, and existing service providers must register within 30 days of the commencement of the Act.
All employers must register within 30 days of the commencement of employment of a domestic worker(s), submitting a prescribed form online along with fees.
The draft bill also prohibits anyone from recruiting or engaging a domestic worker who is not registered as a beneficiary. All registrations will have to be renewed every three years. Any change in the workplace for the domestic worker must be registered with the authorities within 30 days.
Rights of domestic workers
The domestic workers will be entitled to minimum wages, payment for overtime, reasonable working hours, periods of rest, annual paid leave and maternity benefits extended by the state board. They will also be eligible for social security schemes and other welfare benefits, redressal of grievances through an appropriate mechanism and any upskilling and other training programmes organised by the state government.
The draft bill will ensure domestic workers get one-day holiday or staggered half-day holiday twice a week. It also ensures there is no discrimination in the wages paid to men, women and adolescent workers. The draft bill does not define an adolescent worker. A policy will also be formulated for compensation for any accidental fatal or non-fatal accidents or injuries caused to the domestic worker at the workplace.
The state will also form the Karnataka State Domestic Workers Social Security and Welfare Board to implement the rules. The Board shall be a tripartite Board with equal representation and members from the state government, domestic workers’ trade unions, domestic workers, employers, service providers, including platforms and representatives from resident welfare associations.
The Board will have the power to make inquiries and also check any premises if there are reasonable grounds to suspect a domestic worker has been or is being subjected to sexual exploitation or wrongfully confined, or rescue child labourers.
Inspectors will also be appointed and upon receiving complaints, they can hold an inquiry in relation to the provisions of the Act.
Schemes and other welfare benefits
Immediate assistance and financial support will be provided to a beneficiary or his legal heir in case of an accident arising during the course of employment. Domestic workers will also be enrolled in the Employees State Insurance scheme.
Provisions will also be made to pay for the medical expenses of dependents, as well as maternity and paternity benefits. Provisions will also be made for financial assistance for the education of children, funeral assistance to the legal heir on the death of the registered beneficiary and payment of pension to the beneficiaries who have retired from service or are unable to work as domestic help on account of physical disability.
A grievance redressal committee will be set up at all district level to settle disputes related to employment or any termination.
The draft bill also prescribes imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months and with fine which may extend to Rs 20,000 or both, for any service provider or placement agency or employer who is not registered under this Act or has not renewed the registration certificate. A similar term of imprisonment and fine is prescribed for violating the provisions of the Act, with an additional fine.
Steeper terms are prescribed for other violations of the Act.
Anyone who knowingly sends domestic workers to be sexually exploited, abused or trafficked, if found ill-treating or subjecting them to discrimination, using children as domestic labourers, will be subjected to imprisonment of not less than seven years and a fine of up to Rs 50,000.
Criticism
One of the chief criticisms of the bill is that it places the onus of registration on domestic workers. The Domestic Workers’ Rights Union suggested that the onus be placed on the employers for registration, change of employment, as well as renewal. The draft bill was also published only in English, and the union said the draft must be available in Kannada and more time must be given for consultation with workers and unions.
The union also said that registration must be facilitated through an app-based digital portal to ensure easy and accessible registration for all workers.
Another concern expressed by the union was a lack of definition of forced labour, and that it should also include compelling a person to offer their services as a domestic worker, either for no pay or payment under minimum wages, as well as trafficking and bonded labour.
“The draft bill should also define a child as consistent under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986 (CLRA) as under 14 years of age. The definition of 'adolescent' and the age group till 18 years should be consistent, too, the union said.
Other recommendations:
Specific hours of work, weekly holidays and annual leave, bonuses, an annual wage increment of 10% and issue of pay slips. A one-month notice period along with 15 days of payment was also suggested.
Access to safe drinking water, food, first aid and access to washrooms and common areas, including lifts and restrooms in apartment complexes. Protection from body checks and surveillance technology, including CCTVs.
Outlaw discriminatory practices, including having separate elevators, entry and exit for workers.
Develop proper standard operating procedures and protocols for addressing violence and harassment and sexual assault of domestic workers.
Special social security coverage for senior citizen domestic workers, as from 55 years onwards.
Remove the carceral approach towards enforcement, as this will only lead to more resistance to the bill and instead, stick to financial penalties.
Meanwhile, The National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) said that given the “minute scale of employment in the household sector, demanding mandatory agreements for each ‘job’ is likely to become an obstacle to the intent to formalise employment. NAPM suggested that while the responsibility of the agreement must rest with the employers, the language of prohibition must be avoided.
They also said that the prohibition of employment itself, where the worker is not registered, would push a large section of workers, who may be unaware, digitally illiterate, or do not possess all the required documents, into unemployment and further distress. They, too, placed the responsibility on the employers to ensure that workers were registered.
Workers should not be penalised or suffer loss of benefits for delays in renewal or lapses that could not be attributed to them, NAPM said.
They also advocated against criminal punishments for non-registration. “Have a system of civil penalties, reserve criminal penalties for serious offences, and have civil remedies (compensation) for the domestic workers,” NAPM suggested.
Both organisations also suggested that the name of the draft bill be changed to reflect the rights-based nature of the legislation.