Anganwadi Workers and Helpers in Haryana Step Up Agitation

Anganwadi workers in Haryana are continuing their struggle for increase in wages at par with the minimum wage as well as other benefits that regular government workers are entitled to.

As the Budget Session of the Haryana Assembly begins today (5 March), two unions of Anganwadi workers and helpers are staging protests in the state.

Since 19 February, Anganwadi workers and helpers in Haryana under various trade unions have been on an indefinite strike demanding regularisation of services, payment of wages at par with minimum wages, pension, and other benefits like leaves, etc.

On 1 March, two of the unions — one of them affiliated to the RSS-backed Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) — struck a deal with the ruling BJP government and withdrew their stir.

However, the Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union, affiliated to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and the Sarv Karamchari Sangh, staged a protest at Karnal.

Meanwhile, another union of anganwadi workers and helpers, affiliated to the Haryana Sayunkat Karamchari Sangh and the Anganwadi Employees Federation of India, marched to the Vidhan Sabha from Chandigarh.

Speaking to Newsclick, AR Sindhu of CITU said, while she was on her way to Karnal, “We are having a gherao at the residence of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in Karnal.”

“We are demanding the pay scale for highly skilled regular workers for the anganwadi workers, with increase in wages according to seniority, besides pension, etc. We are also demanding unskilled level wages for the anganwadi helpers. The government called for negotiations and two rounds of talks were held, but our demands were not met,” she said.

The two unions that accepted the deal are the Anganwadi Karamchari Sangh (Haryana), which is affiliated to the RSS-backed Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), and another one affiliated to the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist).

Representatives of these two unions met the Principal Secretary (Women and Child Development), Raja Sekhar Vundru, on 1 March. They agreed upon the state government giving wages as per the pay scale for ‘skilled’ workers to anganwadi workers (Rs 11,429), that of semi-skilled workers to mini-anganwadi workers (Rs 10,286) and 60% of that amount to the anganwadi helpers, according to this report.

But the two unions do not represent the majority of the around 50,000 anganwadi workers and helpers in the state. Sindhu pointed out that the BMS union was involved in only project.

Anaganwadi workers, along with other ‘scheme’ workers have been protesting across the country, demanding recognition as regular workers, and higher wages as well as other benefits that regular government workers get. There are around 27 lakh anganwadi, mini-anganwadi workers and helpers under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme. They are responsible for providing care-giving services that are critical to the development of children belonging to socially and economically deprived backgrounds, taking care of new and expecting mothers, as well as taking care of infants’ supplementary nutrition, healthcare, pre-school education, etc.