Stories of the South: Seetha - NDWM Dindigul
Channel: WSM Asia
Date: 01/09/2014

Before NDWM started, domestic workers were invisible, they were not considered workers, but as servants. Nobody cared about us, and even domestic workers themselves did not value the work they did. The most significant change is that now, we are seen as workers, workers who have rights. Domestic workers know each other know, they exchange, they show solidarity and help each other out. They also elect leaders themselves, among each other. They look between their members who has speaking skills, who can negotiate best, who is willing to commit. She also has to be able to attend training sessions and transmit what she learns to the other members. I can clearly see that these trainings give self-confidence, increase their capacities to negotiate and obtain better wages. These skills are also very important when they approach the welfare board to enroll in social security schemes or when they do advocacy. 
Personally, it gave me the confidence to be less dependent of my husband. I used to be very submissive, but because of my involvement with NDWM, I asked and got more liberty and independence. It was a long process, but now my husband accepts that I’m involved with NDWM, that I help other domestic workers, that I travel and go to meetings and trainings. He has seen the changes it brings, not just for me, but also for other domestic workers. I also came up with the idea of fixing our own rates. Tamil Nadu, contrary to certain other Indian states, doesn’t have a minimum wage for domestic workers. So we sat together and agreed on a minimum wage ourselves. These were printed out and distributed. Now, all the domestic workers of our area present that to their employers and so are able to negotiate better salaries. We hope and lobby so that in the future, our government will take over our rates and fix them as minimum wages.
World Solidarity (WSM) believes strongly in the power of people together. Creating Decent Work worldwide in order to guarantee a better life is our ultimate goal. WSM is the NGO of the Christian Labour Movement in Belgium, funded partly by the Belgian Development Cooperation. 

WSM works with 91 partners in 31 countries regarding the right to social protection. In South Asia (Nepal, Bangladesh and India), WSM supports 10 partners working on issues like the garment industry, domestic workers, access to social security, unorganized workers, labour law reforms and community health. These videos capture some of the stories regarding the projects of our partners. 

For more information, visit
www.wereldsolidariteit.be     -   www.wsm.be     -   www.solmond.be  
For more on the projects in South Asia, visit http://brunowsmasia.blogspot.com/