Bengaluru’s Domestic Workers Rights Union, has hit out at Urban Company’s newly launched ‘InstaMaid’ service, which offers service of domestic workers for as low as Rs 49 per hour in Mumbai. In a statement released on March 19, the Union, along with Stree Jagruti Samiti, called the service “extreme exploitation” of informal labour and questioned whether such low wages were even legal under Indian law.
Urban Company’s InstaMaid service promises to send a domestic worker to a customer’s doorstep within 15 minutes. The Union, however, said the model strips workers of any job security, benefits, or legal protection. “Are we progressing in terms of ensuring decent wages and working conditions for domestic workers, or are we descending back into slavery under the shiny garb of market, service, and technology?” the statement read.
The Union pointed out that domestic workers already face severe vulnerabilities, including gender, caste, and class-based discrimination, lack of contracts, unpaid wages, and accusations of theft when they demand fair pay. Many live-in workers are trafficked from poorer regions and are often treated as disposable labour, they added.
“Will the Urban Company take responsibility if a maid is abused at the workplace? Will they provide compensation if a worker meets with an accident? What kind of contracts do these workers have? Do they receive insurance, Provident Fund, or even sick leave?” the Union asked.
Dhanalaxmi, a domestic worker from Bengaluru, was quoted in the statement as saying, “We fought so hard to get a wage of Rs 150 per hour. Even with that, we can barely survive. And now they want to reduce it to 49 rupees?”
The Union also called out the government and opposition parties for their silence. “Where are the labour codes meant to protect these workers, or are they in fact enabling such exploitation?”