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During the neo liberal era, primary and secondary sectors were over thrown and the service sector became the most preferable field for the capitalist mode of production.  In a society where agricutural production has been stagnant and its income is low , the speculative culture within the services has been dominating the ‘growth economy. This transformation is now predominant in our country.   

Kerala has a robust and excellent system of health care. Within the national human development index, it is the state which is at the very top. Its literacy, zero population growth, low mother and child mortality rate and high life spans are the cumulative result of a very systematic health care network throughout the state, achieved through a public health care system with dedicated health workers. 

Kerala is also blessed with an efficient nursing staff, working all over the world. In Kerala, It is prestigious for a middle class family to have girls opt for nursing as a career as the choice opened several opportunities. They were well paid and this income resulted in the family’s economic status improving. Since the1990s, the area of health care has transformed slowly and oriented towards the health industry. (State’s health and educational institutes were merit oriented until the self-financing institutes were born by 1995)   Self-financing Educational institutes are today working as business hubs. The attarctive advertisements and lures of these hubs meant that more and more health workers were rendered jobless and were working at lower income benefits (salaries) Due to the international economic crisis (since the Gulf war), opportunities in the Gulf and other foreign countries were lost and unemployment became a reality.These national and international factors made health workers rendered unemployed and those who remained withn, were much less paid. 

Today, welfare oriented health care is missing in Kerala.  Limitations of Public system are increasing and business oriented super specialty hospitals are attracting even the middle class. People are encouraged to undergo more and more health checkups and take more medication. Though the state population is only 3% of the national population, the sale of medicines in Kerala is around 10%. This leads to iatrogenic diseases.(disease by over medication). Scanning centers are mushrooming everywhere. 

In the last 25 years the average health expense of a Keralite has increased from Rs 85 to Rs  10000.  This is not a good signal. 10 lakh families have been thrown into BPL category due to the highly expensive private hospital treatments. Health education is also very expensive. Fees for a medical student in 1990 was Rs 750  is now increased to 6.5 lakh. This is not an exceptional case.

Compared to other states  organised labour is well paid here.  Traditional labourers in agro, small scale industry, construction etc are being protected. Since literacy is cent percent, un skilled labour is on the decline.This causes the migration of labour into Kerala from outside.  Kerala is the highest consumer state in India.  Glittering multi plex malls for gold, cloth, home appliances are visible across the state, open at all hours, with neon lights. But the workers at these malls are poorly paid. Unaided schools and hospitals are not an exception either. This is largely because of the lack of organised workforce in these sectors. Besides 90% of the working force consists of women.  Trade unions themselves are usually male dominated and have not been successfully in extending organisations within the service sector. 

Kerala has an attractive policy of Minimum Salary for sales girls under the Shops and Trade act, specific to this state. Despite this, however, employees are being cheated. Political parties are unable to take up these issues with powerful chains.  This policy requires that a minimum salary of Rs. 86oo to a sales girl is a must (this is, by the way less than the wage in Kerala for an unskilled worker). The policy, on paper guarantees 100% extra wages for over time duties and also demands that if any such establishment employs more than 50 girls in a mall/ shop, accommodation facilities are to be provided. Besides, provident fund, gratuity annual bonus etc are ensured by the Shops & Trades department. But these  rules are violated by many business groups.     

In the private hospital sector, treatments are expensive but all health workers except senior doctors are poorly paid. Nurses, who play a key role in patient health care –and enter the profession after successfully completing a 3.5 to 4 year course, after which they register with Nursing council, do not get commesurate wages.

Nurses in Kerala are less paid than welsewhere though the Keralite nurse is oft preferred for her patience and sensitivity. There have been many attempts to fight against the odd  working conditions. But family situations, gender and the lack of trade unionism were their hurdles. The managements of Hospitals (as well as schools) are  mainly  generation business groups like NRIs, religions, monks and political parties. They are good with politicians and beaucrats and many of them are pseudo philanthropists and well placed in the public sphere. 

Most nursing students are studied with the support of educational loans and  are unable to pay  bank loans as well as for the lively hood.  Three years ago, the state government had appointed a commission to declare the minimum salary of nurses ( Dr.Balaraman Commssion) . The commission proposed that  a hospital shall pay a minimum salary of 12800 rs for a nurse with other social allowances, overtime etc. but even this recoomendation was not implemented on time.

So, nurses have begun agitating for a demand of minimum Rs 20,000 rs + as allowances. The Supreme Court made an observation indicating that the minimum salary of nurses should be Rs 20000. Even then, hospital managements were not ready to listen and, at the last stage of the agitation, the state government took the initiative to bring both parties to a settlement. This was a huge success of the Nurses Union which is not affiliated to any trade unions or any of the political parties. In the last 25 years, no trade union has been able to achieve such a substantial margin in salary revision. In the neo liberalization era  more and more agitations are taking place independently, not under the leadership of established trade unions.  

The Victory for the Nurses in Kerala for their minimum rights  is an impulse to  other workers who are being deprived of a dignified wage in all sectors.
 
 

The post Florence Nightingales of Kerala Fight for Better Wages & Win appeared first on SabrangIndia.

This reporter's first destination was Jawahar Bhawan in Lucknow. A large group of women in bright parrot  green Saris called out to me in the midst of their sloganeering. They had seen my camera. Clearly and as stated by them later no reporter, channel or camera unit had spoken to them till then.
 

Green sari is the uniform of anganwaadi workers. They had come from all across the state of Uttar Pradesh. There are four and a half lakh anganwaadi workers and two and a half lakh  assistants in the anganwaadi of Uttar Pradesh. Their slogans of "Azadi" , an age old slogan by women's movement was echoing in the entire premise of Jawahar Bhawan. The other slogan could have pierced your heart – Roti Do Ya Maut Do. Give us bread or Give us death.

Their demands are- The Anganwadi workers must be paid 10,000 Rs and their Assistants 5000 Rs. They should be observed as state government employees.Anganwadi centers should be closed for summer holidays. Both Anganwadi workers and their assistants should be entitled to post retirement Pension. There are many vacancies for angwanwadi workers. The people in service should be immediately promoted to these posts. Cooking Gas connection in every anganwaadi center. An insurance policy of 5 lakh for all anganwadi workers and their assistants. 25% yearly increment for both Anganwadi workers and their assistants.

Some of the Angan waadi workers and their assistants screamed at this reporter- "3,000 Rs mey tumhara ghar chal sakta hai?". Can I run my house in Rs 3000?
 

– Some of their demands are- Land rights and worker rights of Famers and workers respectively must be protected.
-Land Rights of the poor should be the focus of government and not land acquisition.
– Social Security of all workers, weavers, craftsmen must be ensured.
– The constitutional Right of workers to express their views, form unions and protest against Government anti-people policies must be restored and not played around with.
-All power plants, dams and highways like  Kachri Power Plant or Kanhar Dam must be made in consultation with the local people of the state. All illegal land acquisition must stop.
– Dalits, Adivasis/tribals and other minorities must not be branded Maoists and Terrorists the moment they protest or don’t want to comply with the powerful people. False cases and false encounters to silence the underprivileged must stop.
–  A safe environment must be created for women.
– All the rights given to communities under Forest Act must be ensured strongly.
– Forest Officers and Forest offices when working against the Forest Act must be investigated. Tendu Leaves, Honey and small fish cultivation under Forest Act are with some Forest communities. Their rights must be protected.
– The violence against the poor in the name of Gau Raksha across the country must be immediately stopped and the perpetrators must be severely punished.
– Communal Violence Bill must be passed immediately.
– The State must encourage hospitals like AIIMS to be established in the country. Privatisation of education must be stopped and public education system must be strengthened.

 Just as I stopped listening and listing the demands of this group I heard a huge uproar by a crowd that was rushing towards the same venue where the workers unions were protesting.  Some of these people with garlands on their neck and Tika  ( A colourful mark Hindus put on their forehead after their prayers) on were  neatly dressed and clearly more privileged than the working class people who were protesting so far. This group had the confidence and assertion to take over the street. Not just the park assigned to protest. The waiting Police rushed towards them. The workers in the park got up and came closer to each other. They were watchful and concerned. Someone in the crowd said  “opposition waaley aagaye” suggesting BJP workers may have come on the streets to silence the workers protest.

This reporter moved closer to the other group now. Some people were fainting in the summer heat. Some were shouting at the Police Force that was refusing to let them go further. The loud but unclear slogans gradually became audible. These people were sloganeering against the Police, then the Chief Minister, then the Prime Minister. They were also on the strike!

On asking who were they I was told they were from the Teachers’ Union and like the Anganwadi workers, craftsmen, nurses, weavers and all other workers they had come out to protest. Some of them were parched and dehydrated but all of them looked determined, feisty and fearless.

The Strike in Lucknow, this 2^nd of September 2016, moved from parks and government offices to the streets! Healthcare, Pension, Holidays, permanent posts and Salary increment talks are clearly back in vogue!

The legitimacy of basic demands sounded irrefutable with the slogans of "Hamari Maangey Poori Karo" rising high!

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दोपहर करीब 11 बजे चारबाग स्टेशन से रैली की शुरूआत की गयी। दूर दराज के वनक्षेत्रों कैमूर उ0प्र0 जनपद सोनभद्र, मिर्जापुर, चंदोली व बिहार अधौरा, बुन्देलखण्ड मानिकपुर चित्रकूट, तराई लखीमपुर खीरी व शहरी क्षेत्रों लखनऊ, कानपुर, इलाहाबाद, बनारस, मिरजापुर, आजमगढ़ व चंदोली आदि में वनाधिकारों, ज़मीन के सवाल पर, बड़े बांधों के लिये अवैध भूमि अधिग्रहण व फर्जी मुकदमों आदि के सवाल पर अपनी अपनी जगह पर संघर्ष कर रहे समुदायों व कार्यकर्ताओं का यह समूह सरकार की मज़दूर विरोधी व जनविरोधी नीतियों, महंगाई व ग्रामीण श्रमिक वर्ग के ऊपर हो रहे सरकारी दमन के खिलाफ पूरे जोश-ओ-खरोश के साथ यह रैली चारबाग से स्टेशन मार्ग, हुसैन गंज, बर्लिंग्टन चैराहा से मुड़कर कैसर बाग होते विधानसभा मार्ग पर स्थित सभा स्थल गाॅधी प्रतिमा की ओर बढ़ रहे थे कि गाॅधी प्रतिमा के नज़दीक दारुलशफ़ा के ठीक सामने लालबाग चैक पर पुलिस ने प्रदर्शनकारियों का रास्ता बाधित कर दिया व रैली को दूसरी तरफ मोड़ने की कोशिश करने लगे। आंदोलनरत महिलाओं द्वारा इस पर विरोध करते हुए जब सभा स्थल की ओर जाने की कोशिश की तो पुलिस ने लाठी चार्ज भी कर दिया, जिससे 3 महिलायें चोटिल हो गयीं। जिससे लोगों में उत्तेजना पैदा होने की संभावना पैदा हो गई। लेकिन लोगों के जोशीले रुख को देखते हुए पुलिस को पीछे हटना पड़ा व लोगों सभा स्थल तक पहुंचने दिया।

गाॅधी प्रतिमा पर आयोजित जनसभा को अशोक चैधरी, राजेन्द्र मिश्रा, रवीन्द्र सिंह, रोमा, निबादा राणा, मातादयाल, गम्भीरा प्रसाद, सुरेन्द्र प्रसाद, रामचन्द्र राणा व राजकुमारी द्वारा जोशीले अन्दाज़ में केन्द्र सरकार व राज्य सरकार की अवैध भूमि अधिग्रहण करके बांध निर्माण, वनाधिकार कानून के असफल क्रियान्वयन, श्रमिक कानूनों के साथ छेड़-छाड़, विनाशकारी विकास योजनाओं, लगातार गरीब तबकों की कमर तोड़ती बढ़ती महंगाई जैसी जनविरोधी व मज़दूर विरोधी नीतियों के मुद्दों पर घेरते हुए खुले शब्दांे चेतावनी देते हुए सभा को सम्बोधित किया। इस सभा में ग्रामीण श्रमिक लोगों पर सरकार के दमनात्मक रवैये व महिलाओं पर हो रहे अत्याचारों के मुद्दे भी वक्ताओं द्वारा मज़बूती से उठाये गये। सभा का संचालन अमित मिश्रा ने किया।

देशव्यापी हड़ताल के समर्थन में किये गये इस विरोध प्रदर्शन में भूमि अधिकार आन्दोलन के बैनर तले अखिल भारतीय वन-जन श्रमजीवी यूनियन, जनसंघर्ष समन्वय समिति, नेशनल फेडरेशन आफ दलित लैंड राईट्स मूवमेंट, लोक हक़दारी मोर्चा, बारा पावर प्लांट, कैमूर क्षेत्र महिला मज़दूर किसान संघर्ष समिति, कम्यूनिस्ट वर्कर्स प्लेटफार्म, अखिल भारतीय जय भीम सेना, बौद्ध सेना, थारू आदिवासी महिला मज़दूर किसान मंच, पाठा दलित भू-अधिकार मंच, कैमूर मुक्ति मोर्चा-अधोरा बिहार, किसान विकास मंच, मज़दूर शक्ति संगठन, विकल्प-गोरखपुर, एकाउंटेबल सिटीजन फोरम, श्रमिक आंदोलन, जनपैरवी मंच, किसान मज़दूर एकता समिति, कन्हर बचाओ आंदोलन, इंसाफ-उत्तर प्रदेश, वीडियो वालेंटियर, एन.ए.पी.एम, ए.आई.सी.सी.टी.यू, संघर्ष संवाद, भारतीय मज़दूर यूनियन, रिहाई मंच व जनमंच-फैजाबाद के प्रतिनिधीगण व संघर्षशील वनाश्रित समुदायों की बड़ी संख्या में महिलाएं व पुरुष शामिल हुए। 

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