We request the Kerala Government to take necessary actions to end the day/night strike of the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers in front of the Kerala secretariat for the last 17 days by meeting their just demands. ASHA workers were the backbone of our valiant fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. However, their work is not acknowledged by our society or our government. The honorarium they receive is paltry compared to the important work they are doing.
We feel that their demands are just. They demand that 1)Increase the honorarium to Rs 21000 per month, 2) Clear the backlog of wages for the last three months, 3) Revoke the unilateral decision to fix the retirement age to 62, and 4) Provide a lumpsum amount of Rs 5 lakh as a retirement benefit.
Instead of holding a discussion with the striking ASHA workers, Health and Finance ministers of Kerala and some of the ruling CPI (M) activists and CITU trade union leaders are indulging in insult and ridicule. They even question the right of these workers to organise and strike for their just demands. The government is trying to intimidate the intellectuals and social activists who addressed the striking ASHA workers using the police force. This is ridiculous and childish and not becoming a democratic polity. The Kerala government must stop the vilification of the striking workers and stop the efforts to crush this just strike with the police force.
The apathy of the Kerala government towards the striking workers is justified in social media by the self-declared spokes-persons of the government by arguing that the honorarium of the ASHA workers is decided by the Union Government and they should not strike in front of the Kerala secretariate. If it is the responsibility of the Union Government, it is the responsibility of the State Government to raise the issue with the Union Government and find a solution. The Kerala government can not put the blame on the Union Government and escape from its responsibility towards the ASHA workers of Kerala.
We request the Government of Kerala to start a dialogue with the striking ASHA workers immediately and find a solution for their just demands.
- Teesta Setalvad
- Justice Markandey Katju
- Dr.Sudhir Vombatkere
- K. Sachidanandan
- K. G. Sankara pillai
- K. Ajitha
- Anand Patvardhan
- Lalita Ramdas (former Chair, Greenpeace international)
- Dr. Ram Puniyani (All India Secular Forum)
- Fr Cedric Prakash SJ (Human Rights and Peace Activist/Writer)
- Dr Prem Singh
- B. Rajivan
- M. N. Karassery
- K. C. Narayanan
- C V Balakrishnan
- Riyaz Komu
- J. Devika
- T. T. Sreekumar
- K. G. Thara
- Joy Mathew
- M. R. Rajan (Filmmaker)
- Neelan
- K. T. Ram Mohan
- E. V Ramakrishnan
- Savithri Rajeevan
- Chandramathi
- V. M. Girija
- Rafeeq Ahammed
- Anvar Ali
- P. N. Gopikrishnan
- Subash Chandran
- Unni. R
- C. S Venkateswaran
- Prasanna Rajan
- V. Vijayakumar
- Prof. Shamsul Islam (Writer)
- Susmit Bose (Musician)
- K. Sahadevan
- Sivaji Panikkar
- Ratnakaran Mangad
- R. Rajagopal (Formar Editor, Telegraph)
- Dr. S. Faizi (Ecologist)
- Joshy Joseph (filmmaker)
- Damodar Prasad
- Sheeba Ameer Ali
- Satyasagar
- Aruna Rodrigues (environmentalist)
- Meera Sanghamitra
- Rama Sundari (Vice president of Progressive Organisation for Women, Andhra Pradesh)
- Sajai K. V
- Sajitha Sankar
- Premchand
- Dr. Azad Malayatil
- P. K. Srinivasan
- G. Dileepan
- A. Prathapan
- P. E. Usha
- K. Vinod Chandran
- S. Jagadeesh Babu
- J. Raghu
- Karunakaram
- M. Rajivkumar
- Gopinath Harita
- Harinarayanan
- C. Anoop
- T. K. Vinodan
- Anitha. S (Tree Walk)
- G. Arunima
- Gargi (Haritakam)
- Johny. M. L
- Ashalatha
- K. Rajagopal
- Priyadas Mangalath
- Mini Mohan
- P. C. Josy
- Praveen Pilassery
- Ambika (Maruvakku)
- Sridhar Radhakrishnan
- K. Rajan
- T. R. Venugopalan
- Abheesh Sasidharan
- Subrahmanian Naduvalath
- V. U. Surendran
- Wilfred. K. P (Visual Artist)
- Mustafa Desamangalam
- Ebin Geevarghese
- Rajesh Erumely
- Jagadeeshan Kalathil
- Babuji
- P. P. Satyan
- Biju Rocki
- Agastine Kuttanellur
- Sudheesh Raghavan
- Asok Kumar
- Ganesh Panniyath
- Sachin Malayatil
- Dr. Bindu. M. P
- K. T. Shahul Hamid
- Cherukara Sunny Lukose
