Thiruvananthapuram: The indefinite strike of ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers in front of the Secretariat—demanding a hike in honorarium, its disbursal by the fifth of every month, and retirement-pension benefits—completed 100 days on Tuesday. The activists will light 100 flambeaus at the protest venue to mark the occasion.

Meanwhile, the ‘day-night protest march’ led by MA Bindu, state general secretary of the Kerala ASHA Health Workers’ Association, to mobilise support for the strike, has covered the districts of Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode and Malappuram.

Despite three rounds of talks between ASHA workers and the authorities—including the state Health Minister and National Health Mission (NHM) officials—the strike continues, as the government has refused to accept the workers’ demands.

“The stubborn attitude of the state government, which is not willing to accept the just demands of poor women, has prolonged the strike,” said S Mini, state vice-president of the Kerala ASHA Health Workers’ Association.

During one round of discussions, which included representatives from other trade unions, the authorities announced that a committee would be constituted to study the demands of ASHAs . However, the workers argued that a committee was unnecessary for issues such as a hike in honorarium and retirement benefits, matters, they said, could be addressed directly by the state government. The authorities rejected this stance.

Kerala’s Labour Minister later assured the protesters that the committee’s study period would be reduced from three months to one. However, the panel was set up only a month and a half after the talks.

Timeline of ASHA Workers’ Strike
February 10, 2025: Strike begins
February 16: Family get-together of ASHA workers
February 21: Mass protest meeting in front of the
Secretariat
March 3: Assembly march
March 8: Women’s get-together
March 17: Secretariat siege
March 20: Hunger strike begins
March 24: Mass hunger strike
March 30: ASHA workers cut hair, shave heads in protest
May 5: Day-night protest march begins

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