"Government Used Talks as Ploy To End Protests!" ASHA Workers To Continue Agitation in Kerala

ASHA workers, protesting outside Kerala’s Secretariat for over two months, vowed on Tuesday to continue their agitation until their demand for a wage hike is met.

The workers, led by the Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association (KAHWA), accused the state government of abruptly halting talks and using deceptive tactics to derail their movement.

S Mini, KAHWA’s state vice president, dismissed the government’s proposal to form a committee to study their demands as a “ploy to end the protest.” “No panel has been set up. It was never sincere,” she told media, emphasizing that the workers will not relent without a raise in their Rs 7,000 honorarium to Rs 21,000 and a Rs 5 lakh retirement benefit.

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Now on day 65 of their protest, which began February 10, Mini said they’d accept an interim Rs 3,000 hike and a confirmed retirement package to end the stir, but the government has stonewalled.

Mini claimed that after the fifth round of talks on April 3, the government promised to continue discussions but reneged the next day, unilaterally withdrawing. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan last week claimed six rounds of talks were held and measures taken to ease workers’ conditions, alleging only a “miniscule” group persists with demands he deemed unsustainable.

The workers, critical to Kerala’s healthcare system, have escalated their campaign with a relay hunger strike, now in its 27th day.

With 27,000 ASHA workers statewide, the protest underscores deep frustration over low pay—Rs 7,000 monthly, partly funded by the Centre—and lack of post-retirement security. As tensions mount, the standoff signals a growing rift between the state and its frontline health warriors.

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