Long-pending payments: Karnataka ASHA workers announce indefinite strike from Jan 7

Bengaluru: Demanding the release of eight years’ worth of honorariums and performance-based incentives, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) in Karnataka are set to begin an indefinite strike from Tuesday. 

Around 40,000 ASHA workers from across the state are expected to gather at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park, said D Nagalakshmi, State Secretary of the All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), who addressed the media on Thursday.

Key demands

The ASHA workers, supported by AIUTUC activists, are pressing for pending honorarium payments of Rs 5,000 per month from the state government, overdue for two to three months to eight years in some cases.

In addition, they also seek performance-based incentives of Rs 7,000 from the central government, with incomplete payments credited due to irregularities in the ASHA-Nidhi portal.

Further, they also seek hike in honorarium of Rs 3,000 from the state honorarium, raising the total demand to Rs 15,000 from both state and central governments.

“Despite being at the forefront during the Covid-19 pandemic, ASHA workers are now suffering due to administrative inefficiencies, including flawed registrations in the ASHA-Nidhi portal,” Nagalakshmi said. She added that only 40-75% of performance-based incentives have been disbursed so far.

The union is also advocating for a Rs 2,000 hike in honorariums for urban ASHAs to address rising living costs, besides annual government-sponsored health checkups for ASHA workers.

Impact on healthcare

The strike is expected to disrupt critical immunisation sessions, as ASHAs play a vital role in ensuring children receive vaccines in their designated regions.