ASHA workers launch strike over pay, status demands
BALURGHAT: Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers across South Dinajpur have intensified their agitation, demanding regular monthly salaries instead of honorariums, formal recognition as government employees, and access to full service benefits. The protest has brought essential grassroots health services to a standstill across the district since December 23, following the launch of an indefinite work stoppage.
On Friday, ASHA workers from across the district gathered in Balurghat and held a large protest rally, raising slogans over neglect, poor pay and lack of job security despite their key role in public health services.
As part of the protest, the ASHA workers staged a demonstration in front of the Balurghat Police Station, where they symbolically burnt copies of a government directive, expressing their anger over policies they claim fail to address their long-standing demands.
The act drew attention from passersby and resulted in heightened security deployment in the area.
Later in the day, under the banner of the Paschim Banga ASHA Karmi Union, the protesting workers marched to the office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH), South Dinajpur. There, they held a sit-in demonstration and submitted a deputation outlining their demands. The memorandum called for immediate implementation of regular pay scales, social security benefits and official recognition of ASHA workers as government staff.
The ASHA workers warned that the agitation would continue and could be intensified further if their demands remain unmet, potentially affecting public health services across the district.
Namita Mohanta, district president of the Paschim Banga ASHA Karmi Union, said: “ASHA workers are the backbone of rural healthcare. We work day and night, during pandemics and emergencies, yet we are denied basic rights like regular salaries and job security. Until the government recognises us as permanent employees and fulfils our legitimate demands, our movement will continue.”
