Dear all,

TL;DR: The SG-Demcol fund has been handed over to 4 workers elected from the Housekeeping department and will be transformed into Worker Samadhaan Fund (WSF), a worker-led interest-free loan system. Please contribute to the fund to this link to help make the handover process smoother. We welcome both one-time contributions and monthly contributions. The latter would bring in a steady amount of funds each month. In case you wish to join the list of monthly contributors, please fill out this form 

We hope that you all are doing well! 

Firstly, we would like to thank everyone for their contributions to all fundraising activities to support workers at Ashoka. The SG-Demcol Fund was established during the pandemic when workers across departments were made to stay at home without pay, leading to harsh financial insecurity. Since then, we have maintained the Fund to assist workers with financial emergencies—particularly medical emergencies that don’t have ESI coverage, pending school fees, and loan repayment. Your contributions to the SG-Demcol Fund have therefore been an important source of assistance for them during times of financial distress, when the existing institutions failed to give them adequate financial and social security. 
 
In May 2022, we conducted an election in the Housekeeping Department and have since handed over the Fund to four elected representatives (2 male staff and 2 female staff). Moving forward, these elected representatives will take all decisions on the Fund. Over several department-wide meetings, a standard set of rules were decided through a show of hands, and the workers have decided that the Fund should be transformed into an interest-free loan system.