Karnataka State Samyukta ASHA Workers Association, affiliated to the All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), has decided to launch an indefinite strike throughout the State from May 1. They are demanding, among others, payment of the honorarium due to them and the matching amount of honorarium promised by the State government due from April last year.
State president of the association K. Somshekar Yadgiri, addressing presspersons here on Monday, said that both the State and the Union governments neglected to pay the honorarium regularly to ASHA workers.
The honorariums due to them have not been paid in most districts for the past six months to one year. He demanded that the government fix a minimum salary of Rs. 6,000 per month to all ASHA workers instead of honorarium of Rs. 2,200 and performance-based incentives.
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Mr. Yadgiri said that a delegation of the association had met the Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader and apprised him of the problems faced by ASHA workers due to the pittance being paid as honorarium and demanded the regular payment of honorarium and incentives.
Mr. Khader held the Union government responsible for the delay in release of due honorarium.
He refuted the statement of Mr. Khader that the State government had released Rs. 86 crore to pay the matching honorarium to ASHA workers. Mr. Yadgiri said that not even a single ASHA worker had been paid this matching honorarium since April, 2014.
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