Join the Struggle for the Right of ASHA Workers throughout the Country,

AR Sindhu 

ASHA Workers and Facilitators’ Federation of India - AWFFI (CITU)

BTR Bhawan, 13 A Rouse Avenue, New Delhi – 110 002

Press Release

3 March 2025

Join the Struggle for the Right of ASHA Workers throughout the Country, especially in Kerala; Reject the campaign to malign the ASHA workers’ movement and CITU

Appeal by ASHA Workers and Facilitators’ Federation of India AWFFI (CITU) 

ASHA Workers and Facilitators’ Federation of India AWFFI (CITU) notes with shock and serious concern that a statement was issued by ‘concerned citizens’ on 27 February 2025 about an ongoing strike by a small section of the ASHA workers in Kerala in which there are allegations about the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and its leadership based on falsehood and half -truths.

We are surprised and saddened to see the names of many respected intellectuals and activists as signatories in the statement which is maligning a trade union like CITU without counterchecking the facts. 

We are writing this appeal to all those signatories and all other concerned citizens who have always been supporting our struggles for just and basic demands nationally and in various states not only in CPI(M) ruled Kerala but in all other states whether it is in BJP ruled states like Gujarat, MP, Maharashtra, Haryana, Assam etc. or Congress (I) ruled states Karnataka, Telangana or AAP ruled states like Punjab (till recently Delhi) and even before the Covid pandemic. We thank them all for extending support and solidarity in our struggles for the last two decades since the inception of the ASHA programme in National Health Mission in 2005 and hope the same in the future. 

AWFFI and CITU had always welcomed and will continue to welcome any positive criticism. But it is painful to see such a distasteful maligning campaign is being unleashed against CITU and its leadership at a time when the country’s trade union movement and its joint platform under our initiative is preparing for heightened united struggles and a general strike against the labour codes and anti-people policies of the ruling corporate communal nexus which is undermining the constitution of India.

We are sure that people will recognise the forces behind such vilification in due course. At the same time we think it is very important for CITU to counter this hate campaign and once again seek the support of all our fellow travelers who have been misguided by some vested interest groups in our struggles against these policies which is devaluing women’s work for profit maximization and withdrawing from public provisioning of the basic services and privatizing schemes like National Health Mission, ICDS, MDMS etc., which need the widest possible unity. 

First of all, we would like to clarify certain facts about the ongoing struggle by a small section of ASHA workers’ in Kerala and the issues faced by ASHA workers in Kerala and our struggles.

 The ongoing struggle is not of ‘ASHA Workers’ in General as being reported by the rightwing media, but it is a struggle by only one of the ASHA workers’ unions in Kerala – The Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association supported by SUCI. 

 They are on indefinite strike and on a day and night sit in – in front of the state secretariat at Thiruvananthapuram. The demands are (as given in the statement) 1) Increase the honorarium to Rs 21000 per month, 2) Clear the backlog of wages for the last three months, 3) Revoke the unilateral decision to fix the retirement age to 62, and 4) Provide a lumpsum amount of Rs 5 lakh as a retirement benefit.

 The ASHA workers are piece rated workers without a fixed honorarium as per the NHM design. After the struggle led by AWFFI ( formerly All India Co-ordination committee of ASHA workers) at national level, a fixed monthly payment of Rs.1000 was given by the Union government for eight defined routine and recurring duties. This has been increased to Rs.2000 per month in 2018, after a prolonged struggle. In addition, ASHA workers are getting piece rate incentives for various jobs (71 types of work as per NHM guidelines!)

 Affiliated unions of AWFFI have conducted many militant struggles in various states demanding additional wages as till date Health is a state subject and the NHM is being implemented by the state governments. 

 Through militant and prolonged struggles facing intimidation, threats, retrenchments and even ESMA, we could achieve additional remuneration from various states, including Kerala. 

 Kerala ASHA Workers Federation affiliated to CITU and AWFFI has been on struggles in Kerala for the last two decades. The union has conducted struggles against UDF as well as LDF governments in Kerala.  After Covid pandemic, the union could get increase in our monthly remuneration three times from the Kerala LDF government. At present, Kerala government is paying the highest additional remuneration in the country (Rs.7000 per month), except for Maharashtra which has increased the wages recently. (In AP, the government is paying Rs.10000 but not paying the additional incentives. The data available otherwise, online including that given in Parliament are incorrect.)

 CITU affiliated ASHA workers’ union has also been in struggle in Kerala recently on the issues of backlogs of wages (in the last two years, our remuneration and incentives are pending for 3-5 months frequently), additional payment for additional work, increase in wages, removal of conditions for fixed monthly payment and retirement benefit and pension. Our union had conducted a weeklong agitation in October 2024 and January 2025 and the government has held a discussion with our representatives and agreed to most of our demands. 

 Again latest on 6-7 February 2025, the CITU union organised a day and night struggle on the issues of pending wages and other demands. The government officials held discussions with the union representatives and has assured the immediate release of the wages from state fund. (the union government is yet to pay Rs.100 cr. For the remuneration of ASHAs to Kerala Government). The government agreed to pay Rs.2000 per month additional wages for the additional work, agreed to remove the conditions (imposed by government of India) for the payment of monthly fixed amount. The Minister told the union that they are of the opinion that the remuneration of ASHAs must be increased and the government is considering it, but not in a financial situation to immediately increase the wages. The government also assured that they are working on a welfare fund pension scheme similar to that for anganwadi workers and helpers in Kerala. With these assurances and written minutes, CITU union has withdrawn the struggle. 

 During the last few years, especially in the last two years, the Government of India has been withholding the allocation of NHM to the government of Kerala without any reason. This is the reason for the frequent delay in payment of wages, the Ministers informed the union. The Kerala government has to go the court for its share in tax revenue as everyone know. 

 The ongoing struggle under the leadership of SUCI has started on 10 February. Contrary to the claim in the statement, the officials spoke with the representatives of the union. Upon their insistence, the Minister for WCD has also spoken to the union representatives. As per the statement the government has given assurances on payment of pending wages from state (the process had already started), additional remuneration for extra work and consideration of increase in remuneration and a pension scheme. In spite of the request by the Minister to withdraw the strike, the union decided to continue the strike and declared that they will go back to work only after getting Rs.21000 per month wages. 

 It is unfortunate that the statement does not mention the fact that the officials as well as the minister had held discussions with the striking union representatives.

 The statement rather alleges that “CITU trade union leaders are indulging in insult and ridicule” (also WCD/Health and Finance Ministers). We would like to make it clear CITU’s comment or statement on this strike came only as the reaction to the allegation by the striking union that the minister was ‘giving credit to the success of the strike to CITU union’ CITU union is ‘betraying the interest of ASHA workers’ etc. It is only after these allegations were widely publicized by the entire right wing media that the CITU leadership responded.

 CITU leadership stated (we stand by the same even now) that putting all the blame of responsibility of the plight of ASHA workers to the Kerala government and terming it as “anti- worker” and the CITU as ‘blacklegs’ by the leaders of this struggle without even mentioning the role and responsibilities of the government of India and its policies cutting down the NHM and health budget is ‘politically motivated’. Our statement has been vindicated by the grand welcome received by the BJP leaders in the struggle venue.

 We also have claimed to be the majority union of ASHA workers in the state and stated that the striking union is a minority union. (This doesn’t mean that we have questioned their right to strike) 

 We are surprised how could many of you who supported the Kerala Government in its fight to get its due share of tax revenues and relief fund for natural calamities like the recent landslide in Wayanad, sign a statement says “If it is the responsibility of the Union Government, it is the responsibility of the State Government to raise the issue with the Union Government and find a solution. The Kerala government cannot put the blame on the Union Government and escape from its responsibility towards the ASHA workers of Kerala.” As if it was because the state government has not yet raised the issue with the government of India which is not aware of any such problems of ASHA workers, that it is not increasing the wages of the ASHA workers! 

 We humbly submit to you that with our struggles, not only Kerala, but many other states including BJP ruled states like Haryana has already written to the union government many times during the last more than a decade, on paying fixed remuneration upto minimum wages to the ASHA workers, but the Government of India has refused to even increase the rate of incentives since 2010. Not only that, the GOI is imposing more and more conditions for releasing of payments and not allowing any flexibility for health priorities or fixing wages for the state. 

 At a time when AWFFI along with the federations of Anganwadi and Mid Day Meal workers under the leadership of CITU, is taking initiative for a nationwide joint movement for the right of scheme workers ( During covid and after, at the initiative of CITU, scheme workers of all the central trade unions have conducted all India strikes) putting the entire blame of being ‘anti ASHA’ or ‘anti worker’ on the left front government which is paying highest to the scheme workers and opposing the anti labour policies of the union government will certainly for helping the ruling dispensation.

AWFFI(CITU) has fighting the neoliberal onslaught of the ruling communal corporate government on the right to health of the people and the right to minimum wages of the ASHA workers and other scheme workers. It was our struggle which compelled the then UPA government to continue with the scheme which they had intended to close down in 2012. We strongly oppose the policies of the government of India which is trying to put health in concurrent list and continuously cutting down the budget allocation for health services. We also oppose the government of India denying the share of revenue and allocations of various schemes to the state governments especially Kerala. We oppose the policy of the Government of India which cut down the allocation of Kerala because of its better performance in Health and Education.

We think that the demands of ASHA workers for regularisation as government employees and Rs.26000 minimum wages pending regularisation and social security and pension as per the recommendations of the 45th Indian Labour Conference are just. We fix the primary responsibility of improving the working conditions of ASHA workers lies with the Government of India which don’t allow even any modification of rules for payment in NHM by states. 

We think that all strikes/struggles by any sector workers have to be resolved by holding discussions with the unions or representatives of the striking workers (in case no union is registered). 

We request all the concerned citizens who have signed in a statement which has not even requested the leadership of the striking union to keep restraint from making such remarks against other trade unions and break the unity to take position on why at this juncture when the federal structure of our republic is under attack and the fight against the authoritarian rule which denies due share of the states and the fight for basic right to food, health and education is led by the people of Kerala, vilifying the Kerala government and picturizing it as the biggest enemy of ASHA workers and the working class by concealing the facts is for helping whom? Is it not the priority to launch a united struggle of the people’s movements against the government of India for defending the federal character of our country?

We would like to inform that the partial success of such vilification campaign even among people like you who have always supported the left, has given much strength to the rightwing forces and the Union Minister Shri Suresh Gopi had the audacity to declare in the strike venue that he will withhold the salary of the rest of the ASHAs in Kerala! 

Respected all,

The NHM is going to complete 20 years on 12 April 2025. On the occasion, AWFFI (CITU) is organising a national convention on the right of the people for health and for the right of ASHA workers where we will plan a massive campaign and struggles. We request all the concerned citizens to support the united struggle for the Right to health and right to dignified work with statutory benefits.

Issued by 

A R Sindhu, Secretary CITU

For AWFFI (CITU)