On the occasion of the International Labour Day, 2023 All Sindh Lady Health Workers and Employees Union (ASLHWEU) organised a rally in collaboration with Public Service International (PSI) and Workers Education and Research Organisation (WERO). The rally started at 11 AM, from Poonam Chowk and proceeded with full glory of slogans and banners to Sindhi Language Authority. Here in Dr. Baloch Hall a public assembly was held. The speakers at the assembly, along with rally participants, outlined the challenges faced by Lady Health Workers, including poor working conditions and lack of basic facilities. They presented a clear set of demands to the government and firmly declared that their struggle would continue until these demands are met and their rights are fully recognized. Ms. Haleema Laghari (President of ASLHWEU), Shama Gullani (General Secretary, ASLHWEU), Mir Zulfiqar (General Secretary, WERO), Qazi Khizar (Vice Chairperson HRCP), Pushpa Kumari (Human Rights Defender) and representatives of civil society organisations addressed the public assembly. The rally was attended by a large number of lady health workers, lady health supervisors, drivers, representatives of trade unions and CSOs from all over Sindh.

Lady Health Workers have been an integral part of the healthcare system of this country. Since the program’s launch in 1994, Lady Health Workers have carried out vital work on the frontlines—administering vaccines and educating women on maternal health. The speakers asserted that keeping in mind their vast contributions these workers were poorly compensated. Long standing political and economic instability in the country coupled with poor policies has put us into massive debt. On top of this, the economic burden put on the country after the floods was unprecedented. Pakistan had to see the worst of a crisis it did not contribute to, thus national debts should either be waived or delayed to pay for rebuilding efforts. Currently, the healthcare sector is facing funding cuts, alongside pressure from the IMF to reduce subsidies and raise taxes. Workers, already earning barely livable wages, are the ones who have been and will continue to take the brunt of these shortcomings of our government.

On the restoration of the health risk allowance, the speakers maintained that the recent inflation made it imperative. Prior to its discontinuation during COVID, the health risk allowance became an integral part of the household income of the workers which led to severe hits to the domestic budget of those who used to receive it. Lady health workers do thankless, tiring and often dangerous work, and have a right to the health risk allowance.

A higher pay with better amenities like proper health insurance, social security, maternity leave, overtime and gratuity is the right of lady health workers. The speakers also said that the lack of service structure meant decades at a job without promotion which is incredibly demoralising, they also deserve a job scale which is more in accordance to their length of service and educational qualifications.

Moreover, the negative attitude around the polio vaccine has made administering it a dangerous job. Polio workers have been victims of violent assaults during the polio vaccine campaign, rendering multiple injuries and tragic deaths. The speakers demanded that the government ensure that workers participating in the polio awareness campaigns and dispensing polio vaccine be given foolproof security. Along with that, the families of the people killed and injured during the campaign be compensated too. 

The speakers asserted that privatisation of healthcare services is incredibly alarming. It is in violation of the workers basic human rights as it puts their jobs and income at risk. In the wake of the IMF pushing to privatise more nationalised institutions, it is imperative the government resist the pressure and stop the process of privatisation. It is an injustice towards the poor and workers, being a risk to their incomes and counterintuitive to the achievement of prosperity in society,

The recent floods have massively impacted rural communities. Several thousand pregnant women were at risk due to the widespread damage to homes, hospitals and their remote locations. Lady health workers, despite being a part of the affected population, did tireless work in tent cities and in flooded communities to avert the maternal health crisis that arose as a result of the floods. Providing pre and post-natal care to mothers and infants, lady health workers prevented maternal deaths and helped bring life into this world in hazardous, unsanitary and unsafe conditions. The speakers commended the bravery of the lady health workers in a time of unprecedented climate catastrophe.

The collective demands of the speakers and participants boiled down to:

• Restoration of the health risk allowance for all health workers.

• Service structure should be promptly made

• Designing and issuing of service rules

• Empty vacancies on the posts of lady health supervisors, lady health workers, drivers, and account supervisors should be filled.

• Lady health supervisors should be provided supervisory allowance and drivers be provided travelling allowance.

• Standardised pay across Sindh for polio workers

• Polio workers should be provided fool-proof security during campaigns; those injured or killed should be compensated.

• Workplace be made safe from incidences of sexual harassment.

• Government should ratify the ILO Convention C-190.

• Workers should be provided social security, gratuity, maternal leave, healthcare and pension.

• Privatisation and outsourcing of healthcare and other utility services should be stopped.

• Increased funding of the public healthcare sector.

• International community should come together to help and aid rebuilding efforts in Pakistan after the catastrophic floods.

• As Pakistan has a negligible role in climate change, yet is one of the countries expected to be the most affected, our national debts should be waived to alleviate the toll climate disasters have taken on our economy. 

The participants of the rally and assembly along with organisers were seen to be determined to fight and struggle for their rights until all their demands are met.