Tenaganita programme officer K Gayatri said domestic workers were key contributors to the economy, playing a crucial role in keeping households and families functioning smoothly.

“However, in Malaysia, domestic work is still excluded and not protected under key provisions of existing laws. At Tenaganita, we firmly state that this situation must change.

“We call for the immediate enactment of a specific and comprehensive law to formally recognise domestic work,” she told a press conference organised by the May 1 Committee today.

She pointed to Indonesia as an example of a country that had made legislative progress and urged Malaysia to follow suit.

“We must end the systemic exclusion that continues to deny domestic workers their rights,” she added.

“Domestic workers are not second-class workers. Their work is valuable and meaningful. Their dignity, labour and rights must be upheld and defended.”

Currently, domestic workers such as housemaids, nurses and personal drivers in Malaysia are excluded from the most basic protections under the Employment Act 1955.

For example, they are excluded from Section 12 (notice of termination of contract) and Section 14 (termination of contract for special reasons) of the Act, as well as Part XII, which governs rest days, hours of work, holidays and other conditions of service.

The press conference, moderated by the Women’s Aid Organisation, also addressed wider labour concerns, such as job insecurity, rising reliance on AI, the mismatch between wages and the cost of living, and workplace sexual harassment.