ASHA workers' talks with government fail; hunger strike to begin tomorrow

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ASHA workers, currently on an indefinite strike in front of the Secretariat, have declared that today’s talks with the government were unsuccessful. Expressing their dissatisfaction with the government's response, the ASHA workers stated that none of their major demands were addressed. They confirmed plans to proceed with their hunger strike, which is scheduled to begin tomorrow.

"None of our demands were even heard by the NHM State Coordinator," one of the ASHA workers said.

S Mini, leader of the strike committee, explained that the NHM State Coordinator had suggested calling off the strike and proposed the possibility of talks with the Health Minister. "Only the honorarium guidelines were discussed during the meeting. We arrived at the talks with hope, but we are leaving disappointed," she added, reaffirming their commitment to continue protesting.

The government had informed the ASHA workers this morning of their willingness to engage in discussions. Today marked the 38th day of the strike, and it was the government's second attempt to resolve the issue. Previous rounds of discussions had not been fruitful. On the heels of this, the ASHA workers declared a hunger strike, which is set to begin on March 20th. As the strike entered its 36th day, they further intensified their protest by blocking access to the Secretariat.