ASHA workers accuse INTUC of betrayal, union denies it

Thiruvananthapuram: The ASHA workers protesting outside the Secretariat for 55 days on Saturday accused the Congress-affiliated INTUC of betraying them by suggesting the setting up of a committee to examine their demands in the recent discussion with the government, an allegation denied by the trade union.

The third round of discussions between Kerala Health Minister Veena George and protesting ASHA workers broke down, with the workers rejecting a government proposal to form a committee to address their demands. The ASHA workers refused to accept the committee, seeking instead concrete actions from the government to improve their pay, benefits, and working conditions.

S Mini, State Vice President of the Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association (KAHWA), told a TV channel that R Chandrasekharan, State President of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), initially proposed forming a committee to address ASHA workers' demands.

She said that, thereafter, INTUC and the other trade unions, which were invited for the talks, attempted to pressurise them (KAHWA) to accept the proposal.

"We did not succumb to the pressure and rejected the proposal outright. We had suggested that the honorarium can be increased to Rs 21,000 from the present Rs 7,000 in phases with an immediate hike of Rs 3,000 to settle the protest. However, they were not willing to accept it," Mini contended.

R Chandrasekharan vehemently denied S Mini's allegations, labelling them as "lies". He claimed the proposal for a committee to address ASHA workers' demands didn't originate from him. Instead, Chandrasekharan accused the KAHWA leadership of being unwilling to find a resolution, suggesting they aren't prioritising the welfare of ASHA workers.

He said that the minister had said that the honorarium would be increased.

Responding to his contentions, M A Bindu, general secretary of KAHWA, said that they were not against the committee.

"The committee can be set up to study all the other issues being faced by ASHA workers. We are of the view that it is not required for hiking our honorarium or providing post-retirement benefits to us," she told the TV channel.

She said that it was not the intention of the protestors to carry on the agitation indefinitely, and they want to settle the issue.

"But to settle the matter, there has to be a settlement formula to address our demands. There was no talk about that. They were all only focused on setting up a committee, and the trade unions tried to pressurise us into accepting that," she said.

She said that KAHWA wanted to settle the issue, and that is why it suggested that the honorarium be increased by Rs 3,000 now to end the protest, and later it can be hiked in phases to Rs 21,000.

The KAHWA members have been protesting outside the Secretariat for 55 consecutive days, demanding retirement benefits and a higher honorarium.

The agitators have also intensified their protest with an indefinite hunger strike, which has now entered its 17th day.

(inputs from PTI)