Sat Apr 05 15:34:17 UTC 2025: ## Kerala ASHA Workers Continue 55-Day Protest Despite Government Committee Proposal

**Thiruvananthapuram, April 5, 2025** – Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) in Kerala are continuing their 55-day protest for better pay and retirement benefits, rejecting the government’s proposal to form a committee to study their demands. The Kerala ASHA Health Workers’ Association (KAHWA) accuses other trade unions of pressuring them to accept the committee, claiming it’s a tactic to stall the protest and weaken their momentum.

KAHWA’s State vice president, S. Mini, criticized the government’s refusal to offer an interim honorarium increase of ₹3,000 while the committee deliberates. While KAHWA had reduced its demand from ₹21,000 to ₹10,000, even this compromise was rejected. Although the ASHA action council isn’t inherently opposed to a committee investigating broader issues, they deem the three-month wait for a decision on the honorarium increase inhumane.

The government, meanwhile, maintains its position, stating that all options have been presented to the ASHAs and no further talks are planned. The committee, comprising representatives from the Health, Finance, and Labour departments, will study ASHA’s issues. This move is seen by the protesters as a delaying tactic.

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan distanced the Congress party and UDF from the position taken by INTUC leader R. Chandrasekharan regarding the ASHA agitation. The protest continues with no immediate resolution in sight.

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