Pakistan's New National Union Marks a Major Victory for Community Health Workers
In a significant milestone in the decades-long struggle of essential women workers who deliver primary health care across the country, community health workers from across Pakistan have united to form a national federation.
The newly formed PCHWF (Pakistan Community Health Workers Federation) aims to ensure the safety and security of its members, who face numerous challenges including recent attacks on polio workers, harassment, denial of minimum wages, delayed salaries, and lack of professional recognition. The union is determined to protect public health services and counter common problems faced by community health workers, polio workers, and midwives.
The Lady Health Workers program, initiated in 1994 by former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, has grown from 30,000 to over 125,000 workers and serves as the backbone of Pakistan's primary healthcare system. Despite achieving regularization in 2012, many polio workers continue to exist on honorariums instead of regular wages.
"We work continuously in harsh weather conditions but we are not respected like humans," said Kinza Malik, a Polio Worker from Punjab Province and Secretary, Youth Affairs of PCHWF. "The unity of our federation will change the trend so we can gain our rights."
PSI (Public Services International), a global union organization, has been supporting community health workers to unionize and organize across Pakistan. They have congratulated the newly formed national union and pledged their support in solidarity.
"We know that will only be achieved through the unity of workers, in Pakistan and across the world," said Kate Lappin, PSI Regional Secretary for Asia Pacific. "These Women who dedicate themselves to improving public health, providing support to the most remote communities are undoubtedly entitled to respect, a living wage, and a dignified retirement."
The PCHWF unites five major unions from across Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtoon Khawa, Balochistan, and other provinces. The federation will take on the role of championing the rights of community health workers, polio workers, and midwives to ensure they receive respect, fair compensation, and a secure future.
Contact: Rahila Tabassum, General Secretary, PCHWF (+92 3214905236) Jyotsna Singh Communications Consultant, Asia Pacific Regional Office, Public Services International (PSI)