Delhi Asha workers’ strike enters Day 4; Covid-19 services likely to be hit

Asha workers are community health workers who work with state health missions constituted under a Union health ministry programme.

Around 4,000 Asha workers, deployed at the front lines in the fight against Covid-19 in the national capital, have been on strike since Tuesday, demanding incentives and better wages. Despite the Delhi government on Thursday promising them more incentives, Asha workers said they will continue their strike till they are not paid Rs 10,000 per month as fixed salary, up from the Rs 4,000 monthly remuneration they have been paid since April.

The protesting Asha workers on Thursday also wrote to MLAs and councillors of their localities, requesting them to intervene and also held protests in different areas across the city including Sagarpur, Sudarshan Park and Qutub Vihar. (HT Photos)

A Majority of the Accredited Social Health Activists (Asha) in Delhi are currently engaged in pandemic management work, such as conducting door-to-door surveys, especially in the containment zones, putting up posters outside Covid-19 patients' homes, keeping tabs on people in home isolation and supplying medicines at their doorsteps.

Usha Thakur, general secretary of Delhi Asha Workers’ Association (DAWA), said, “Most Asha workers are on covid-19 duty and are not able to do other work. Normally, every month, we managed to earn between Rs 7,000 and Rs 9,000 through incentives. Now we are being paid Rs 3,000 as core incentive and Rs 1,000 for Covid-19 duty per month. Many Ashas are sole bread-earners for their families. They are struggling to make ends meet even after working for hours,” she said.

Asha workers are community health workers who work with state health missions constituted under a Union health ministry programme. Apart from the fixed Rs 3,000 as core incentive, these workers are given incentives for every health activity such as immunisation, hospital delivery, routine checks. They are mostly assigned to local government-run dispensaries.

The association members on Thursday evening were invited by state health minister Satyendar Jain’s office for a dialogue. Sonu, president of DAWA, said, “We have been promised some incentives, but they have not accepted the demand of Rs 10,000 per month as fixed salary. We have decided to continue our strike until our demands are met. We will not report to work on Friday as well.”

The Delhi government refused to comment on the matter.

The protesting Asha workers on Thursday also wrote to MLAs and councillors of their localities, requesting them to intervene and also held protests in different areas across the city including Sagarpur, Sudarshan Park and Qutub Vihar.

Kavita Yadav, state coordinator for Asha workers, All India United Traders Union Centre (AITUC), said that by Thursday around 4,000 Asha workers had joined the strike. “The government has paid Rs 5,000 as compensation to those who lost their work amid the pandemic. But, they are giving us Rs 4,000 per month even after working for 12-13 hours. Some Asha workers are not even paid the full amount of Rs 4,000,” she said.

Officials at several district magistrate offices said the Covid-19 services in their districts will get affected if the strike continues. “There have been complaints from some dispensaries in my district that Asha workers are not reporting to work. Even though we have trained teachers and civil defence volunteers, there will be a staff crisis if Asha workers continue the strike. It will be difficult to continue surveillance work,” said a district magistrate, who wished not to be named.

An official at the west district magistrate office said, “Asha workers have not been reported to work at several dispensaries in our district for the last three days due to which we had to deploy teachers at their place. Their incentive issue should be resolved as soon as possible to avoid any crises.”