Housemaids demand relief, house rent waiver

Daily wage-earners, particularly domestic workers, have demanded waiver of house rents and distribution of relief among them during the countrywide shutdown put in force to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

National Housemaid Union President Amena Begum and General Secretary Murshida Akhtar made the call in a joint statement issued on Friday.

"We call upon the government to officially announce the house rent waiver for housemaids and distribute relief among them by the armed forces until the shutdown comes to an end and the virus is prevented," read the statement.

"Tens of thousands of housemaids are leading their lives in misery in Dhaka city. The government must come forward to save them."

The union leaders said the daily wage-earners, particularly the housemaids, are the worst victims of the shutdown.

They said people have given the part-time housemaids off from work without clearing their wages for the entire last month.

The country has been under a shutdown since March 26 to flatten the curve of the global pandemic, which has thus far claimed 30 lives in Bangladesh and a total of 482 people have tested positive for the virus.