THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: ASHA workers are gearing up for a showdown with the government, planning a massive protest march to the assembly when the session resumes on Monday.
The march will see thousands of ASHA workers from various districts taking part, marking what Kerala Asha Health Workers Association state president V K Sadanandan described as a historic event in the state’s labour struggle. He said the Union and state governments cannot shirk from their responsibility for the serious livelihood problems faced by ASHA workers in the country. The opposition UDF will take up the issue in the assembly on Monday.
The protesters’ frustration grew after police woke them up at 3am on Sunday to remove the plastic sheets they had used to shield themselves from the rain. When it rained later in the morning, officers intervened again when protesters tried to cover the area. Thrissur MP Suresh Gopi who visited the protest site, distributed coats and umbrellas to the workers, while Attingal MP Adoor Prakash condemned the police action, pointing to the force’s double standards.
“The police turned a blind eye when CPM workers blocked roads for local meetings in Thiruvananthapuram, yet they’re quick to disrupt peaceful protests by women at night,” Adoor Prakash said.
ASHA workers have been protesting in front of the Secretariat for the past 21 days, demanding an increase in honorarium, retirement benefits, and improved service conditions. While the government has cleared some honorarium dues, no decision has been made on the other demands related to the centrally and state-funded scheme.
Meanwhile, the government has announced plans to appoint health workers in every district, seemingly in an attempt to replace the striking workers.
“The ASHAs work for the health department in the state. It is the state government that should increase their honorarium and implement retirement benefits. We have also staged protests in front of the Parliament against the Union government,” said Sadanandan.
The protest has garnered significant support across political, cultural, and medical circles. A group of prominent doctors signed a petition urging the government to address ASHA workers’ demands. Among the signatories were four government doctors.
However, Dr Brahmaputhran C K, one of the signatories, claimed that these doctors faced pressure to withdraw their support, allegedly directed from the top of the health department.