Negotiations with Bluspring see Positive Results, Nobel Prize Nominee Shabnam Hashmi Arrives for Teach-in

On Friday, 5th September, Ashoka University’s housekeeping staff’s protest entered its ninth day. That afternoon, the workers met with members of the Ashoka administration, along with concerned faculty, to reiterate their demand for a higher wage and other grievances. Later that evening, at 6:30 PM, noted social activist Shabnam Hashmi delivered a lecture in solidarity with the protesting workers.

After over a week of protest, and multiple failed negotiations between the workers and Bluspring Enterprises regarding the workers’ demands, yesterday’s meeting finally yielded positive results.

Workers Meeting

A meeting was convened between Ashoka University’s housekeeping workers and members of the administration. It consisted of Dr. Dheeraj Sanghi, the Dean of Student Affairs (DSA) and Professor Deepak Asthana as chair and member of the Workers’ Grievance and Welfare Committee (WGWC), respectively. It also included Professor Sandeep Sen, Dean of Faculty. 

Two concerned faculty members were also present, one of which was Prof. Bittu, with the aim of their presence being to ensure that workers could speak their minds freely.

The session marked the first meeting of the WGWC, after a long period of inactivity. The committee has been mandated to forward workers’ complaints to the administration ​in an orderly manner, and has long been demanded by the workers themselves.

Central to the meeting was the issue of salaries. A vote was held, both via ballot and an anonymous form that could be accessed via a QR code, on whether workers wanted to press for a wage increase. Many workers left the meeting during this phase of voting, with shared concerns over the consequences of the administration having the names of the voters.

Professor Bittu, however, confirmed that the results of the vote would be collated and submitted to ​him confidentially. The subsequent statistics — sans workers' names or identities — will be submitted to the administration and Bluspring Enterprises. Blespring is expected to return on 2nd November with its assessment of how current wages compare to industry standards in the area.

Workers also pressed for assurances that there would be no supervisory overreach or transfers against those who had participated in ​the protest, should they return back to work. They emphasised their willingness to return to work from Monday, 8th September, even without an immediate wage increase, citing urgent financial needs. They reiterated that they would continue to support the larger cause of wage revision, but emphasised the need for continued student solidarity.

In an interview with The Edict, Professor Bittu described the meeting as “a first step towards there being an institutional mechanism for workers to raise their grievances directly.” They added that while many felt heard, some workers remained hesitant to speak, choosing instead to pass on their concerns through peers.

On wages, they highlighted the gap between a minimum wage and a living wage, stressing that many single-earner families, especially single mothers, cannot subsist on current pay scales. “If you don’t adjust for inflation, there’s no salary structure that’s sustainable,” they said, pointing to disparities that have widened in the past five years. During this period, hostel infrastructure doubled while staff numbers and salaries failed to keep pace.

When asked about student involvement, Professor Bittu underscored that mobilisation is paramount. “It’s important for students to listen to workers and to understand what they go through on a daily basis. This is not only an Ashoka issue​. It is a wider question of how society is structured.”

Shabnam Hashmi's Teach-in

At 6:30 PM on the same evening, Nobel Prize-nominated activist Shabnam Hashmi was invited by students for a teach-in at Gate 1. While initially refused entry altogether, she was later allowed entry to the university premises. 

Hashmi extended her solidarity with the protesting workers and students, emphasising that the workers had rational, feasible demands from the administration. She added that the issues they face currently are neither isolated nor accidental; the process of hiring contractual workers and staff who would stay silent out of fear was an intentional, tried-and-true method. She encouraged students and workers to remain vocal against injustice on all sides. “This is not the time to keep quiet”, she said to the crowd. “It's time to speak out.”

Her sentiments echoed that of workers in the audience. “This strike is because of the system we live in,” said Kishore,* a housekeeping worker, addressing Hashmi and the audience. “We are here with only three demands. Not even one has been fulfilled so far.”

After Razeen Ayesh (UG '26) announced the positive direction the negotiations had taken, students, faculty, and workers chanted slogans of protest in celebration, led by Hashmi.

Workers will return to their shifts from Monday onwards, but the protest has not ended, and will not end till their demands are fulfilled. 

*Pseudonyms have been provided to these individuals to preserve their anonymity. 

(Edited by Sahana Radhakrishnan and Giya Sood)