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Ludhiana: Asha workers protest salary delays at civil surgeon office
The protesting workers highlighted several key demands including regularisation of salaries according to the sixth pay commission with a minimum of ₹26,000 for those who have completed 10 years of service
With salaries pending for the past three months, several Asha workers under the banner of the Asha Workers and Facilitators Union staged a protest outside the civil surgeon office in Ludhiana on Thursday.
The protesting workers accused the health department of “exploiting their services” despite years of duty without regular pay or benefits. Raising slogans against the state government, they demanded immediate release of pending salaries, restoration of allowances, and regularisation of their jobs.
The protesting workers noted that they have been serving in the health department for over 17 years, and are subjected to large-scale exploitation while their grievances have long been ignored.
The protesting workers highlighted several key demands including regularisation of salaries according to the sixth pay commission with a minimum of ₹26,000 for those who have completed 10 years of service, restoration of deducted allowances, and an increase in tour allowances. They also called for enhanced retirement benefits, including a minimum assistance fund of ₹5 lakh and immediate implementation of half the last salary as pension.
The protestors are also seeking an increase in the fixed arrears allowance from ₹2,500 to ₹10,000 as promised before elections, recruitment of facilitators in urban areas, and provision of mobile SIMs in districts where these are not yet available to facilitate official work.
Rajvir Kaur, a union leader said,” The Asha workers are the backbone of the healthcare system. Still, it has been more than three months, we have not received our salaries and left to fend for ourselves on incentives. Additionally, several workers above the age of 58 years were retired from the department without any gratuity and pension, highlighting the sheer exploitation by the state government.”
Despite several attempts, civil surgeon Dr Ramandeep Kaur remained unavailable for comments.
