ASHA workers, the backbone of community healthcare, are neither privileged nor part of the ruling class. They receive honorariums, not wages, for their essential services. This constitutes a clear instance of labor exploitation and informalisation, a practice ironically reminiscent of the current government’s own historical roots in worker strikes dating back to the 1920s. Today, Dalit, Bahujan, and Adivasi women are leading the charge in this strike, demanding recognition as workers entitled to dignified working conditions and a basic living wage.
We have witnessed the remarkable courage of ASHA workers, much more in recent times of the Nipah virus outbreak[1], Covid pandemic[2], and natural disasters[3]. Even in the face of personal loss and crisis they were relentless in how they showed up for their communities, to protect and preserve the lives of others. In many areas they were effective in aiding the interventions of medical personnels with their knowledge of each family’s medical history and the local geographies. Despite lacking investment in their capacity building, ASHA workers show remarkable resilience and initiative through their lived experiences and interpersonal relationship skills.
The International Labour Organisation has declared that “care work – whether paid or unpaid, formal or informal – is essential to individual well-being and to the functioning and flourishing of societies and economies everywhere.”[4][5] In Kerala, ASHA workers are community stewards, frontline care workers and primary responders. In our work with local self governments in various environmental and sanitation projects, we have witnessed their openness to learn, engage and form partnerships for sustainability and climate action[6]. In our current economic and political system, their work is pivotal in bridging policy into action, and contributes to the growth of local economies, as much as their Kudumbashree and Anganwadi counterparts. ASHA workers are often seen as extended family members and comrades, making them more effective in targeted interventions for public health and well-being. There is much potential in this network of women to emerge as leaders and innovators in community development.[7]
As a state that heralds itself as workers-led and workers-centric it is pertinent to champion the demands of the ASHA workers for increased honorariums and regular payments, at the minimum. Let us not mimic the same feudalist-patriarchal and fascist tendencies that we rebuke in other places! This is a direct appeal to the government to accept the demands of the ASHA workers. The pursuit of economic growth through capital investment cannot come at the expense of public welfare and social development. ASHA workers are integral to this very ecosystem. Instead of resorting to the paranoid rhetoric often employed by authoritarian leaders, who perceive every strike as a politically motivated attempt to destabilize the government, this strike should be seen as a genuine plea from workers who have significantly contributed to the strengthening of governance and the well-being of the public. Their care work is in need of recognition and respect.
The Chief Minister and his cabinet are urged to demonstrate empathy towards the striking workers and offer them fair compensation that reflects the current economic realities. Kerala’s well-deserved reputation for championing women’s rights must extend to all women and all workers, not just those whose struggles garner social media attention and public relations benefits. The contributions of ASHA workers, often unseen and undervalued, are crucial to the health and welfare of the community. Their demands for decent work and a living wage are not unreasonable; they are a fundamental right. Ignoring their voices would be a disservice to the very principles of social justice and equality that Kerala prides itself on upholding. A swift and compassionate response is not just necessary, it is a moral imperative.
In solidarity:
Babitha PS, Shradha Shreejaya
Co-founders, Sustainable Kerala Menstruation Collective
Trivandrum, Kerala
[1]https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/news/learning-nipah-virus-fight-covid-south-india
[2]https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/who-honours-asha-workers-for-their-crucial-role-linking-community-during-covid-19-pandemic/article65454223.ece
[3]https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/kerala-sree-award-for-shaija-baby-for-commitment-to-community-1.10044673
[4]https://www.ilo.org/publications/major-publications/care-work-and-care-jobs-future-decent-work
[5]https://www.ilo.org/resource/record-decisions/resolution-concerning-decent-work-and-care-economy
[6]https://thanaltrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Climate-Change-and-Public-Health-Case-study-final-with-Cover.pdf
KAFILA - COLLECTIVE EXPLORATIONS SINCE 2006 