Haryana ASHA Workers Launch Indefinite Strike Seeking Execution of their Long Pending Demands

Following the two-day sit-in in Karnal, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) from Haryana have launched an indefinite strike on Wednesday to reiterate their long pending demands. Since the state government has failed to implement the agreement that they had come to with the ASHA workers on February 1 this year, more than 20000 workers across the state have come together under the banner of Haryana Asha Workers Union and they camped in Karnal, the assembly constituency of chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, on July 16 and 17.

“After the two-day mass sit-in in Karnal, a delegation has met with the government officials in Chandigarh on Wednesday. Though the officials said that the earlier agreements, made on February 1 and June 15, would be issued within a week, the workers have decided to launch an indefinite strike till the notification comes out,” said Surekha, general secretary of Haryana Asha Workers Union that is affiliated with Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), while speaking to Newsclick.

The protesting workers, who are back in their villages after two-day sit-in in Karnal, are sitting in front of the offices of district magistrates, Surekha added.

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The adamant stand of the BJP-led state government has been pushing the workers to protest for a while, especially during the last six months. Though the workers have reminded the government about the demands and agreements frequently, nothing has come up in favour of the workers.

On January 17 this year, the ASHA workers had started their 16-day long strike, demanding hike in monthly salary and incentives. Various regions of the state including Gurugram, Karnal, Sonepat, Panipat, Kurukshetra, Ambala, and Chandigarh had witnessed massive demonstrations of workers during the 16-day long protest. The protest had been concluded on January 31 as the government agreed to meet the delegation of workers on February 1. During the meeting between the government officials and Haryana Asha Workers Union representatives in presence of health minister, an agreement was formulated.

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In the meeting, the government had agreed to hike the salary of ASHA workers to Rs 4000 per month along with an increase in honorarium which comes from different services like immunisation campaigns, pre-natal and post-natal efforts, etc. Apart from these, the government depends on ASHAs for more than 40 such services.

“At present, the ASHAs across the state get a very paltry amount of Rs 1000 as salary. They earn a bit more through incentives. If they assist home-delivery, they get Rs 300 for each such case. So the incentives vary according to the services they deal. In total, Haryana ASHAs earn only Rs 2000-2500 on an average including all the incentives and salary,” said Jai Bhagawan of CITU, the union that has extended support for the struggle of Ashas in the state. All India United Trade Union Centre has also extended their support to the ASHA workers’ struggle.

Again, on June 7, as the government failed to implement earlier agreements, the workers were pushed top launch another indefinite strike. The striking workers had also given a call for Jail Bharo protest. The massive response to the protest had forced the government to notify an order considering all the grievances of the workers. However, this order was not same as the one passed in February, as it added many conditions on every demand of the ASHA workers.

Then the government, on June 15, had called the workers for a meeting and agreed that the order they passed was different from what they had agreed upon earlier. Signing the minutes of the meeting, the health minister announced that they had accepted the demands of the unions and workers. The government had also sought a time period of one month for the implementation of the order and appealed the workers to withdraw strike.

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The June 15 draft read “All ASHA will be given a monthly fixed honorarium of Rs. 4000 without any conditions, but their performance will be appraised on annual basis to ensure functionality of each ASHA. The enhanced incentives will be given from January 2018. The performance-based incentive for 5 activities such as institutional delivery, routine immunization, antenatal care (ANC), HBPNC and family planning/ spacing will also be increased. Existing additional 50% incentive on monthly NHM earning would be continued and services of all ASHA facilitators would be continued.”

Apart from this, the draft added: “Android phone for ASHAs has been proposed in the PIP 2018-19, for the approval of Govt. of India. Common almirah would be provided to ASHAs at all SCs which are being converted into health and wellness centres in the state. Ex gratia grant would be provided to the family of deceased ASHAs in the line of ANMs and finally, weightage will be given to eligible ASHAs in the appointments/engagement of regular/contractual MPHW (F) and staff nurses.”

However, nothing has been done in this prescribed time period and the condition of the workers remains more or less the same. So, again the distressed workers took to streets for their rights.

“We, the Asha workers, have decided to continue the strike till the final notification comes out,” Surekha added.