The Karnataka State Samyukta ASHA Workers Association, affiliated to the All India United Trade Union Centre, began an indefinite strike here on Friday demanding their honorarium due for the past one year and that government fix a minimum salary.
V. Nagammal, member of the Socialist Unity Centre of India, said that both the State and the Union governments have neglected to pay the honorarium regularly to ASHA workers. They were also not serious about daily wage workers, he added.
Their honorarium had not been paid in most of the districts for the past one year. Even the State government had failed to pay the matching honorarium grants from last April and urged the governments to initiate steps to release the due honorarium immediately, Ms. Nagammal added. Around 38,000 ASHA workers in the State were being deprived of honorarium and basic facilities and they demanded health benefits.
Ms. Nagammal refuted the statement of Health Minister U.T. Khader that the State government had released Rs. 86 crore to pay the matching honorarium grants.
List of demands
In Bidar, ASHA workers joined the State-wide strike that began on Friday. They took out a rally shouting slogans around the city and submitted a list of demands to the State government. They also said that they would not return to work till the demands were fulfilled.
Workers seek incentive
In Hubballi, ASHA workers affiliated to the Karnataka Samyukta Asha Karyakartheyara Sangha launched the indefinite strike. Sangha district president Gangadhar Badiger said that the strike had been called to oppose the delay in releasing the incentive to ASHA workers.
ASHA workers played a key role in making sure the benefits of the government health schemes reached the target groups particularly in the remote areas. However, the government was adding to their woes by not releasing the incentive amount on time.
