LAHORE: The Punjab government is planning to launch a domestic workers skill development project as a pilot programme on Feb 19.

As part of its Women’s Empowerment Package, the Punjab Women’s Development Department (WDD) is joining hands with the ILO to train 1,000 women as domestic helpers in the provincial metropolis. Three maids have recently been tortured to death in the city.

The College of Tourism and Hotel Management (COTHM) has been selected as technical partner while the All-Pakistan Women Association (APWA) will collaborate as training partner by offering its premises and network to get hold of potential trainees and employers.

Quoting recent labour force survey and secondary desk review figures that put the number of domestic workers as a major part of the informal economy, 73pc of the country’s economy, ILO representative Farida Khan hopes the initiative will help advocate ratification of the ILO Convention 189 as well as place the trained women in decent work conditions.

The trainees will include at least 100 vulnerable women from under-privileged strata, minorities, victims of violence and disaster, those with little or no education and no access to formal training.

The training will span 36 days as the first batch will comprise 25 trainees, say WDD officials.

The curriculum will include domestic cooking and proper storage of edibles; dish washing; housekeeping including cleaning, dusting, laundry of clothes and linens, ironing, bed-making; techniques to make efficient use of resources like water washing/cleaning detergent, electricity, edibles, time etc.

Stress will also be laid on occupational health and safety, personal hygiene and grooming, time management, protection against various forms of harassment, communication and negotiation skills.

Ms Khan says with the help of the Pakistan Workers Federation, the trainees will also be informed about their rights and responsibilities.

Ume Laila, executive director of the HomeNet Pakistan, an NGO already engaged in an Islamabad project on working children, hopes the WDD initiative will create market for skilled domestic helpers, while both sides – employees and employers – will be aware of their rights and responsibilities unlike the present scene where everything is going unplanned and uncategorised.

She asserts that it will also help improve employability of the domestic workers.

Citing a similar project in India, Ms Khan expects 30 to 50pc increase in the wages of the domestic helpers who will be assessed and awarded certificates accredited by the Trade Testing Board (TTB) of Tevta.

The project will also focus on legislative side to help combat issues like assuring minimum wages, introduction of written contract between the worker and the employer clearly outlining the type of tasks/responsibilities, work timings, wages, time of payment, leave and other benefits, deductions and a notice period.

Tahir Manzoor, gender focal person of the Punjab government, says the initiative may easily be used for legally ensuring that no domestic helper, whether boy or girl, under the age of 14 can be employed. Likewise, their minimum wages may be fixed at least Rs10,000 a month, equal to that of unskilled workers, in the first phase.

Replying to a query, he says hourly wages may also be determined by dividing the monthly wages by 26 (days) and then dividing the answer by eight (hours) to get daily pay.