Will continue stir, say ASHA workers

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 28

Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers and facilitators staged a massive protest here on Tuesday. They announced that they would continue to hold protests rallies and demonstrations against the state government until the minimum wage law was enacted.

The ASHA workers have been protesting since December 23, demanding that workers and facilitators were brought under the ambit of the Minimum Wages Act and government to increase their honorarium and provide better working conditions. The protesting members said they would continue with their protests till December 30 or until the government fulfilled their demands.

Members of various unions supporting the protests also burnt effigies of CM Charanjit Singh Channi and called for the implementation of fixed salaries, free insurance of up to Rs 5 lakh, provision of pension for the workers on retirement. The leaders announced that if their demands were not met, they would join the massive protest to be held on December 31 outside the residence of Deputy CM Om Prakash Soni.

The ASHA workers earlier too held dharnas outside Soni’s residence and at the Kathunangal toll plaza. They had boycott their duties and sat on dharnas at various community health centres based at Manawala, Baba Bakala, Tarsikka, Lopoke, Verka and Ramdas.