Kerala govt rejects ASHA workers' demands, says maximum concessions extended

Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Labour Minister V Sivankutty on Tuesday rejected the demands raised by Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers, who have been protesting outside the Secretariat here for the past 58 days, stating that the government has made the maximum possible concessions to resolve their agitation.

He said that Health Minister Veena George had held five rounds of talks with them and described it as a "great thing" that a minister had made such efforts to settle a protest.

“Any further talks with the agitators will be held only after reaching some consensus on the matter,” he told reporters.

“The state government has made the maximum possible concessions regarding the ASHA workers' issue. We have put forward suggestions aimed at achieving consensus after offering significant concessions,” he added.

No government would be willing to offer further concessions on the matter, Sivankutty said.

The Labour Minister's remarks came a day after his talks with the ASHA workers failed to reach any consensus, as the agitators remained firm on their long-standing demand for an honorarium hike.

Following the meeting, ASHA leaders told reporters that while the minister had put forward some suggestions to end the strike, they informed him that the agitation would continue until the government accepted their demand for an honorarium hike.

The third round of discussions between Veena George and the ASHA workers, held on April 3, also failed to yield an agreement, as the workers refused to accept the government's proposal to form a panel to examine their demands and provide recommendations.

ASHA workers protest

Two earlier rounds of discussions between the minister and the protesting workers had also ended without resolution.

The State Health Mission had previously conducted two meetings with the workers as well.

Members of the Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association (KAHWA) have been protesting outside the Secretariat for 58 consecutive days, demanding retirement benefits and a higher honorarium.

The agitators have now intensified their protest with an indefinite hunger strike.