The Lady Health Workers (LHWs) in Pakistan, are confronted with many challenges. Non-regularisation of jobs as government servant, irregular salaries, uncertain job conditions, a lack of service structure, long hours, being forced to go to ‘uncovered areas’, sexual harassment, domestic violence and safety & security at the work place.

Given the situation, lady health workers union started a movement for the regularization of their jobs as government servants. They organized protest rallies, press conferences, sit-in and media campaign across the country. As a result of their struggle, Chief Justice of Pakistan took suo moto action and in pursuance of the Supreme Court’s decision, LHWs have been regularized.

Since the beginning of the cooperation with PSI in 2015, through the PSI-IMPACT-KNS project from 2017-2019, the “All Sindh Lady Health Workers and Employees Union” (ASLHWEU) has been able to get significant achievements to address the LHWs issues. The project will be supported by PSI-FORSA-KNS for the next three years duration 2020-2022.

The goals of the project for the next three years are:

• Lobby with government to improve working conditions of LHWs in Sindh as well as in other regions, demand service structure, increase health allowance and entitlement of pension, gratuity and maternity leave, so that they receive the same benefits other government employees do

• Formation of units in districts and mobilise members to form units in remaining districts of the Sindh province

• Campaign to combat GBV and Sexual Harassment at workplace (C-190)

• Educate and build the capacity of union leadership and members on district level to run a union with democratic values

• Move to strengthen the LHW union in other regions in Pakistan

• Strengthening of Broader alliance “All Pakistan Lady Health Workers Federation”

• Networking with provincial, national and international trade unions, CSOs.