ASHA workers protest outside Punjab Deputy CM's house in Amritsar for hike in wages

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 21

Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers and facilitators staged a massive protest outside the residence of Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Om Parkash Soni on Tuesday to get the government to increase their honorarium and provide better working conditions.

Raising slogans against the state government, especially the Health Minister, the ASHA workers stated that they had been working for over a decade, but the governments had failed to acknowledge the hard work put in by them to help people get medical services.

Saroj Bala, state president of the ASHA Workers and Facilitators Union, said, “We demand that ASHA workers and facilitators are brought under the ambit of the Minimum Wages Act and are paid at least Rs 18,000 per month.” She said until their salaries were increased, they should be paid Rs 4,000 per month over the normal incentives.

Unhappy with the way, the government has shown indifference to their protest. The agitators stated that when they met state Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu, he had assured them that as he had talked to Health Minister Soni and their demand would be accepted. They further added that when they met Soni, he assured them that he had talked to the Chief Minister and their demands would be accepted.

“It seems that they are waiting for the employees to get tired and end protest,” said a protester. However, Sukhjit Kaur, general secretary of ASHA Workers and Facilitators’ Union, said they would continue their protest till their demands were accepted.

The agitating employees are holding regular dharnas outside the residence of Navjot Singh Sidhu and at the Kathunangal toll plaza. Many of the farmer unions had pledged support to the protesting employees and were helping them with logistics.

Addressing the protesters, Maha Singh Rori, state president of the Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU), said ministers had failed to get a notification issued even as they had accepted the demands during the meetings.