Asha workers stage protest, demand hike in wages

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 15

Asha workers and facilitators with the Health Department on Monday staged a protest outside the office of the Civil Surgeon and demanded fixed salaries instead of commission-based pay.

Leading the protest, Asha workers and facilitators union president Paramjit Kaur Mann said the workers should be paid a minimum salary of Rs 18,000 under the Wages Act instead of Rs 8,403 they were presently getting.

The association leaders said the state government was not serious enough in increasing the commission of the workers even as the Central government had enhanced it. They said the union leaders were denied the access to meet the minister concerned while they had submitted memorandums in this regard on several occasions. Association leader Sarabjit Kaur said the government had not paid TA and DA for the three day training session conducted in the month of February.

Meanwhile, in a separate protest BJP workers burnt an effigy of Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu for his statement made during the Literature Festival at Kasauli. The BJP leaders stated that he should be sent to Pakistan because of his proximity with their culture.