Context: A committee constituted on the Supreme Court’s directions has concluded that domestic workers do not require a separate law, arguing they are already covered under existing labour codes.
About Domestic workers do not need a separate law:
What it is?
- It refers to the expert committee report (July 2025) submitted to the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, formed following a Supreme Court order dated 29 January 2025, to examine whether India needs a dedicated legal framework for domestic workers’ welfare, protection and regulation.
Key recommendations / conclusions
- No separate legislation required: The committee held that domestic workers are already covered under India’s four labour codes.
- Coverage under labour codes: It cited the Code on Wages (2019), Industrial Relations Code (2020), OSH Code (2020) and Social Security Code (2020) as providing sufficient legal protection.
- Focus on implementation: The report implied that better enforcement of existing laws, rather than new legislation, should address workers’ vulnerabilities.
- Inter-ministerial coordination: It emphasised coordination among labour, women & child development, social justice and law ministries instead of a standalone law.
Significance:
- Policy stance shift: The report signals the government’s preference for legal consolidation over sector-specific laws.
- Implications for informal labour: Domestic work, largely informal and home-based, is being equated with other labour categories despite distinct vulnerabilities.
- Judicial–executive interface: The outcome highlights limits of committee-based responses to Supreme Court concerns on social justice.
- Gender dimension: Since most domestic workers are women, the decision has direct consequences for gender equity and labour rights.
Relevance for UPSC exam syllabus
- GS Paper II (Polity & Governance):
-
- Welfare of vulnerable sections and Role of Supreme Court in social justice
- Labour reforms and labour codes and Issues in implementation of government policies
- GS Paper I (Society):
-
- Women workers in informal sector
- Migration, urban poverty and social exclusion
- GS Paper IV (Ethics):
-
- Justice, empathy and inclusion
- State responsibility towards unorganised labour
