Kerala govt rejects ASHA workers’ demands amid intensifying protest
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Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Labour Minister V Sivankutty on Tuesday firmly rejected the demands of Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers, who have been staging a protest outside the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram for the past 58 days. The minister stated that the government has already made the maximum possible concessions to resolve the ongoing agitation.
Speaking to reporters, Sivankutty said that Health Minister Veena George had conducted five rounds of discussions with the agitating workers — an effort he described as a “great thing,” highlighting the seriousness with which the government approached the issue. However, he clarified that any further dialogue would only be held after a preliminary consensus was reached.
“The state government has made the maximum possible concessions regarding the ASHA workers' issue. We have proposed suggestions aimed at achieving consensus after offering significant concessions,” he said. “No government would be willing to offer anything further,” he added, indicating a firm stance.
The minister’s statement came a day after his meeting with the protesting ASHA workers ended in a stalemate, as the workers remained steadfast in their demand for an increase in their honorarium.
After the talks, leaders of the ASHA workers told the media that although the minister had suggested certain proposals to end the strike, they conveyed that the agitation would continue until the government accepted their core demand for a hike in honorarium.
The third round of discussions between Health Minister Veena George and the workers, held on April 3, also failed to yield a breakthrough. The workers rejected the government’s proposal to constitute a committee to study their demands and make recommendations. Two earlier meetings between the minister and the protesters had also ended without resolution.
In addition to the ministerial talks, the State Health Mission had conducted two separate meetings with the workers, but these too failed to defuse the crisis.
Members of the Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association (KAHWA), who have been sitting in protest for nearly two months, are demanding retirement benefits and an increase in their honorarium. With no resolution in sight, the protest has now intensified with the workers launching an indefinite hunger strike.
With PTI inputs