ASHA workers in Haryana during the protest outside the Mini-Secretariat in Gurugram on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers on Tuesday gave a call to camp outside the residences of Haryana Ministers for 24 hours on October 18 over the State government not addressing long-standing issues.
Around 20,000 ASHA workers have been on strike since August 8 across Haryana to press for their demands, including a minimum monthly salary of ₹26,000, government employee status as well as retirement and social security benefits. Over these 64 days, they have organised agitations outside the Gurugram district headquarters, candle marches as well as door-to-door campaigns to press for their demands.
Addressing a group of protesters outside the Mini-Secretariat here, ASHA Workers Union Haryana vice-president Sudha said Chief Minister Manohar Lal has been holding ‘Jan Samvad’ programmes to listen to people’s grievances, but has not made time to talk to the protesting health workers.
The union’s president Surekha said the ongoing strike is hampering the vaccination programme as well as birth and death registration process in the State and inconveniencing people, but the government seems least bothered.
“The government has not held talks despite an assurance a fortnight ago to initiate dialogue within a week. We are forced by its indifferent attitude to call for the sit-in protests,” said Ms. Surekha, also the State president of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). She added that the call for strike had now been extended for another ten days till October 20.
CITU Haryana vice-president Satvir Singh said the government was not just insensitive to the demands of the ASHA workers but also to the health infrastructure in the State, which grappling with a dearth of staff and equipment. “The workers have also raised these issues in their door-to-door campaign to highlight their difficult working conditions,” he added.