THE two-day All India Convention of Women Agricultural and Rural Workers, organised by the All India Agricultural Workers’ Union, was held at the EMS Academy in Malappuram district, Kerala, on May 9-10, 2025. The convention began with the flag hoisting by Durga Swami, central working committee member and state secretary of AIAWU’s Rajasthan unit, followed by floral tributes at the Martyrs’ Column.

The convention was inaugurated by the U Vasuki, vice president of AIDWA, and CPI(M) Polit Bureau member. She explained the situation of women agricultural and rural workers in the country and highlighted many issues such as the impact of the neoliberal economic policies that are pushing rural workers, especially women, into precarious non-farm employment simply to ensure their families’ survival.

She also discussed gender-based wage discrimination as a serious issue among agricultural labourers. Programs like MNREGA, which have more participation of female workers, have offered some economic relief, but neoliberal pressures have eroded its implementation, reducing employment opportunities and threatening the economic security of female workers. She reminded the role played by the Left in the formation of MNREGA during the UPA–I Government, which was the first ever legal guarantee of work in the country with equal wages for both men and women. She concluded by stressing on the need to fight the BJP-RSS not just in the fields but also at the ideological level where we counter their Manuwadi Hindutva pro-corporate ideas which is at the root of all evils in the society.

The draft resolution of the convention was placed by Lalitha Balan, which underlined concrete issues of the women agricultural and rural workers. According to India’s 2011 Census, women constitute 30.33 per cent (3.6 crore) of cultivators and 42.67 per cent (6.15 crore) of agricultural workers. A large majority (81 per cent) belong to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, or Other Backward Classes, and 83 per cent are landless or come from small and marginal farming families.  Social constraints and limited mobility mean fewer women migrate for non-agricultural work, deepening their reliance on agriculture.

Gender-based wage discrimination remains a serious issue among agricultural labourers. While the wage gap between men and women narrowed slightly between 2006–07 and 2013–14, it has widened again since 2014. Women are typically employed in tasks that are assigned lower wages, compounding their economic disadvantage. These trends underscore persistent inequities driven by both occupational segregation and direct wage discrimination. Additionally women in India spend about 32 per cent of their time on agricultural tasks like transplanting and harvesting, while also devoting around 300 minutes daily to unpaid domestic work such as cooking and caregiving.

Women agricultural workers are largely excluded from maternity benefits, forcing them to work until late stages of pregnancy and return to work shortly after childbirth. With no crèche facilities, children are left with elderly family members or siblings, contributing to high malnutrition rates. The National Commission on Self-employed Women and Women Workers (NCSEW) stressed that for unorganised sectors like agricultural labour, where employers are not identifiable, the state must take responsibility for ensuring universal maternity benefits as provided under the Maternity Benefit Act for women workers. Disturbingly, studies have shown that female sugarcane cutters are sometimes coerced into undergoing hysterectomies to avoid pregnancy and lost work time.

Women workers face multi-layered exploitation. When an agricultural worker is a woman and comes from dalit or tribal background then the level of exploitation becomes multi-layered. They are exploited as workers and then they have to face social discrimination due to their lower caste and finally they are exploited for being women.

The resolution emphasised on the challenge posed by Hindutva ideology. The communal hatred spread by Hindutva forces has deeply penetrated rural society, undermining the unity of the working class and dividing workers along communal lines, against their class interests. Women workers, in particular, have become victims of the propaganda disseminated by the BJP-RSS combine, which is exhibiting increasingly neo-fascist characteristics. The ruling BJP, driven by the Manuvadi ideology, views women as inherently inferior to men, reinforcing patriarchal norms and imposing various restrictions on them. Naturally, under such political and ideological conditions, violence and sexual harassment against women, especially rural women workers, are on the rise. Alarmingly, the perpetrators often enjoy protection and patronage from those in power. AIAWU is actively resisting these injustices and will further intensify the struggle against all forms of discrimination targeting women workers. Issue-based interventions on gender matters will be made while simultaneously waging an uncompromising ideological battle against patriarchy. This struggle is essential to counter both the neoliberal agenda and regressive ideas of Hindutva forces.

DISCUSSIONS

There was an in-depth discussion on the draft resolution, with 30 delegates participating and sharing their field experiences from various states. These contributions provided valuable insights into the diverse challenges faced by women agricultural and rural workers. The discussions helped deepen the collective understanding of these issues and shaped the course of action to expand the struggle and build a broader movement for their rights. The resolution was unanimously adopted, with a call to launch targeted struggles on specific issues affecting women workers.

A seven membered presidium was elected for the smooth functioning of the convention which included K Komalkumari, Bonya Tuddu, B Padma, S Poongothai, Sarita Sharma, Durga Swami, Jisha Syam. At the outset of the convention, V P Anil, chairperson of the reception committee, welcomed all the delegates and highlighted the historical significance of the venue, Perinthalmanna taluka—the birthplace of the legendary Communist leader and ideologue EMS Namboodiripad, former general secretary of the CPI(M) and former chief minister of Kerala, who was a pioneer of radical land and educational reforms in the state. S Poongothai presented the condolence resolution at the convention. A total of 410 delegates from 16 states participated, along with members of the central working committee of the union.

On the second day of convention, a seminar on women agricultural and rural workers was organised. The first speaker of the seminar was Madhura Swaminathan, Professor at Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore who spoke on ‘The Livelihood Crisis and Gender Wage Gap Among Women Agricultural and Rural Workers’. C S Sujatha, state secretary of Kerala unit of All India Democratic Women's Association and former MP Lok Sabha spoke on ‘Contrast Between the Policies of BJP-led Central Government and LDF-led Kerala Government Towards Rural Women’.

The convention elected a 16-member subcommittee with Lalitha Balan as its convenor. Two positions on the subcommittee have been kept vacant.

In the evening of second day, a massive rally and public meeting was held at Perinthalmanna. AIAWU president, A Vijayaraghavan inaugurated the public meeting. C S Sujatha, Lalitha Balan, B Venkat,  AIAWU general secretary, Vijoo Krishnan, All India Kisan Sabha general secretary and others spoke. AIAWU vice president Komala Kumari presided over the meeting.

The convention adopted following demands:

Ensure equal wages for equal work for women agricultural and rural workers. Provide women workers with work of equal nature and value, accompanied by equal pay.

Enact legislation guaranteeing maternity benefits for women agricultural and rural workers, with the government assuming full responsibility for its implementation.

Provide protective gear to women agricultural and rural workers who are engaged in tasks involving hazardous chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides.

Guarantee land ownership rights for women agricultural and rural workers, along with the provision of adequate housing.

Ensure better working conditions, including the mandatory establishment of crèche (childcare) facilities at workplaces.

Strengthen and expand MNREGA to promote greater participation of women agricultural and rural workers.

Strictly enforce laws (Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013) to safeguard women against sexual harassment at the workplace. Establish a strict implementation mechanism and special courts to ensure speedy justice for victims.

Address the additional challenges faced by women migrant workers, especially in areas of housing, sanitation, and social security at their places of work and residence.

Establish a competent and accessible microfinance system, along with the provision of easy loans at zero interest rates.

Strengthen the public health system to effectively address the health issues of women agricultural and rural workers. Ensure comprehensive social and economic security (Rs 6500/month) for women agricultural and rural workers.

Introduce special provisions for pension and social support for single, deserted, and widowed women workers.