Respected sir,

As a long-time advocate for the rights of women and their empowerment, we are used to comparing the situation of women in Kerala as a good model for women’s empowerment in all fields of life. The history of workers’ struggles and the fact that even women in the informal sector receive government benefits after retirement is a shining example to the rest of the world. 

The role of women workers especially in the delivery of social services like early childhood care, as is done by anganwadi workers, and grassroots health care delivery as is done by the ASHA workers – we recall their outstanding contributions during COVID, in which Kerala state excelled in the health care given during the pandemic.

We are therefore very much concerned about the extended struggle for better wages and working conditions that they have been engaged in, for many weeks. We urge you to consider their demands favourably and arrive at a speedy resolution of the dispute, in the interest of the workers as well as the beneficiaries so that their access to services is not affected.

Thanking you and with best wishes,

Cynthia Stephen 

Independent Gender and Social Policy Researcher,

Bangalore.