New Delhi, Feb 19 (IANS): There is an urgent need for recognising people engaged in domestic work within an employment relationship as workers and to bring them under labour legislation, said Tine Staermose, Director India, International Labour Organisation (ILO), Wednesday.

"There is a urgent need for the recognition of the people engaged in domestic work within an employment relationship as workers and to bring them under the labour legislation so they can access services and benefits similar to other workers," she said while addressing the media here.

According to ILO, there are close to 10 million domestic workers in India.

She said despite significant contributions made by the work force in the country, society remains slow in recognising people engaged in domestic work because of which such people keep struggling to earn a living.

"The domestic workers would be entitled to annual paid and sick leave. They would get compensation for overtime, social security coverage, protection against abuse and violence, sufficient food and a safe and healthy place to stay."

Citing that in the last decade, domestic workers in urban India increased 68 percent, she said the Indian government didn't take any concrete step to improve the living condition of such people.

Bharti Birla, national project coordinator, ILO said: "Government should take action against the placement agencies, who in the pretext of providing employment bring them to metro places and force them to work as domestic workers", Birla said.

Saying that most of the domestic workers are women, she said the delay in bringing the domestic workers under labour legislation was also hindering women's empowerment in the country.