ASHA Workers Protest in Front of Bihar Vidhan Sabha
As part of the ASHA Samyukta Sangharsh Manch's ongoing state-wide movement, a massive march was organized in front of the Bihar Vidhan Sabha on 11 March 2022. Manch leader and Bihar State ASHA Workers Union President Shashi Yadav led the march that started from Gate Public March and culminated in a meeting at the dharna site in Gardanibagh. ASHA workers from all over Bihar, who form the backbone of Bihar's health system, participated in the program and expressed their anger without mincing words.
Addressing the meeting, ASHA-AICCTU leader Shashi Yadav said that the Bihar government wants to extract bonded labour from ASHA workers. ASHAs work 24 hours 7 days a week but are not paid any honorarium. Some time ago when we had gone on strike, the government announced that we would be paid Rs 1000 honorarium. But later the government betrayed ASHAs by very cunningly turning it into 'paritoshik' (reward). We have come here today to tell the government that we do not want this rattle-toy of 'reward' instead of a monthly honorarium.
Shashi Yadav further said that ASHAs would not do forced/bonded labour anymore. The government must declare government employee status for ASHAs and pay them a monthly honorarium of Rs 21,000.
AICCTU leader Jitendra and Janswasthya Karmachari Sangh leader Vishwanath said that the Bihar government is doing injustice to ASHAs by not paying them the Corona period allowance due to them.
CPIML MLAs attended the dharna to express solidarity with ASHA workers. Legislative party leader Mahboob Alam said that we have raised the demands of ASHAs inside the assembly and asked for a special debate on the oppression of scheme workers. The MLAs will meet the Chief Minister and raise the issue of a respectable honorarium for ASHAs.
Present at the dharna were AIPWA State President Saroj Chaube and AICCTU leaders Jitendra, Sunita, Urmila, Vidyavati Pandey, Lukman, Amit Mishra, Sabaya, Malti, Julie, Juhi Alam and others.
ASHA workers all together in one voice appealed for the resounding success of the All India strike on 28-29 March 2022.
