Healthcare Workers in India demand Regularisation, Minimum Wages and Social Security
THOUSANDS of ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers and facilitators from 13 states converged on the capital, New Dehli on November 29th last year, in a powerful show of solidarity. Organized by the ASHA Workers’ and Facilitators’ Federation of India (AWFFI), affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), the rally demanded regularisation of their employment, a minimum wage of Rs 26,000 per month (Euros 290/£245), comprehensive social security, and pension. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) reports.
Introduction
India is the second largest labour market in the world, after China, with around 625 million people working or seeking work, out of a total population of 1.42 billion people. Over 90% of India’s workers are in the informal sector, most of them without any chance of unionisation. Fifty percent of workers in India earn Euros 300 or less per month.
ASHA, an acronym for Accredited Social Health Activist, means ‘hope’ in the Hindi language. ASHA workers are “India’s million-strong community of frontline female health workers who connect rural India, especially its women and children, to health services and government schemes”. ASHAs are considered volunteers and given a fixed incentive of Rs 2000 (Euros 22) by the Indian government for their work. Most ASHA workers earn an average of Rs 5000-Rs 8000 (Euros 50-90) per month, an amount that has stagnated over 10 years. This is far below the state mandated minimum wages for skilled workers. They recieve additional compensation from task-based earnings and they also recieve remuneration from the states where they live, varying from Rs 2000 to Rs 7000 (Euros 78). These compensations come from different health ministry departments, making it fragmented and delayed.
ASHA workers are usually chosen from village communities with mid-school level education and trained to monitor maternal and infant health for 1000-1500 people in the areas around them. Journalist Reshmi Chakraborty notes that, “they facilitate hospital deliveries, immunisations, nutrition supervision, disease screening, family planning and hygiene awareness among and are paid incentives for these”.
The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) is a communist-oriented organisation with six million members, with K. Hemlata as its current president of the central trade union. In a polarised India already riven by caste, class and religious divide, the government and the industry have combined to deprive the workers not just of their rights but even the benefits guaranteed by Indian Labour laws.
In late 2024, thousands of health carers and related health workers from the ASHA Workers’ and Facilitators’ Federation of India descended on the seat of government in New Dehli to protest at their pay and conditions, as reported in, People's Democracy, one of seven regular publications produced by the Communist Party of India, Marxist.
THOUSANDS of ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers and facilitators from 13 states converged at Jantar Mantar [in New Dehli] on November 29, in a powerful show of solidarity. Organized by the ASHA Workers’ and Facilitators’ Federation of India (AWFFI), affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), the rally demanded regularisation of their employment, a minimum wage of Rs 26,000 per month [Euros 290/£245], comprehensive social security, and pensions. The protest also emphasized the need for universal healthcare and vowed to oppose the policies of the Modi government, which are anti-worker.
The rally, titled the 'ASHA Sangharsh Rally,' was inaugurated by K Hemalata, President of CITU, who hailed the ongoing state-level struggles of ASHA workers and called for intensified national-level action. “The anti-national, pro-corporate policies of this government are a direct attack on the working class. It is time to unite and strengthen joint struggles to bring about change,” she said.
Madhumita Bandopadhyay, General Secretary of AWFFI, outlined the federation’s charter of demands and highlighted past victories achieved through collective struggles. Speakers from different states shared their experiences and struggles, showcasing the collective anger of ASHA workers against stagnant wages, lack of benefits, and the government’s indifference.
PARLIAMENTARIANS AND SOLIDARITY FROM FRATERNAL ORGANISATIONS
CPI(M) MPs addressed the rally, pledging to raise the workers' demands in Parliament. Leaders from various fraternal organisations, including Vijoo Krishnan of the All-India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), Jaibhagwan of the Mid-Day Meal Workers Federation of India (MDMWFI), and A R Sindhu of the All-India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH), expressed solidarity. They underscored the need for a united front of care workers across the nation to amplify their voices and achieve their demands.
Cultural performances, including songs composed during state-level struggles, energized the rally, reflecting the resilience and determination of the participants.
In her concluding address, Surekha, Secretary of AWFFI, announced a roadmap for future action, warning of militant protests, including strikes, if the upcoming budget does not address the demands of ASHA workers. “We are prepared to escalate our struggle independently and in joint movements. The fight for our rights will not end here,” she declared.
The rally concluded with a call to take the issues of ASHA workers to grassroots communities and intensify struggles at state and national levels.
The mobilisation underscored the growing discontent among frontline health workers, whose contributions during the pandemic remain unacknowledged. With their demands resonating across the country, the rally marks another chapter in the fight for dignity, fair wages, and social security for ASHA workers.