Thiruvananthapuram: A group of writers has urged the Kerala government to accept their demands and come to a compromise by accepting their demands. The service of ASHA workers in the healthcare sector is invaluable. ASHA workers were the most important link in the state’s preventive measures during the Covid era. The meager remuneration received by ASHA workers is not commensurate with their service.
ASHA workers are staging a day-and-night protest in front of the secretariat, raising completely legitimate demands such as increasing the honorarium to Rs. 21,000, paying 3 months’ arrears, withdrawing the unilateral announcement of the retirement age of 62, and providing Rs. 5 lakh as retirement benefit.
Instead of discussing the demands raised by the ASHA workers, the Health and Finance Ministers and some CPM and CITU leaders are trying to ridicule, abuse and threaten them. The rulers are even questioning the basic right to organize and strike. There is a childish and ridiculous move to threaten the intellectuals and social workers who addressed the ASHA workers in front of the Secretariat with the police. This is in no way acceptable in a civilized democratic society. The government should withdraw from the move to abuse the strikers and suppress the strike.
Those who appear on social media as self-proclaimed spokespersons of the government say that the honorarium of ASHA workers is determined by the central government and that the protest should be against the center, not in front of the state secretariat. The lives of poor workers who work hard and take on important responsibilities at the lowest level of the health care sector in the state are being hampered here. The state government should not run away from responsibility. In a joint statement, the writers informed all concerned that they should immediately start discussions with the striking ASHA workers and accept their demands and settle the strike.
