As the protest by ASHA workers in front of the Secretariat completes 50 days, M A Bindu, General Secretary of the Kerala Health ASHA Workers Association, sheds light on the reasons behind the agitation and its demands.

"For women, cutting their hair in protest is an extreme step. After all, every woman values her hair. The fact that ASHA workers are being pushed to such lengths just to demand what is rightfully theirs is something this government should be ashamed of. Yet, even after announcing such a drastic protest, the government has turned its back on us and refuses to even initiate discussions," Bindu, voices her frustration.

Despite the government’s indifference, the protesters remain hopeful that the painful act of cutting their hair will serve as a wake-up call. In an interview with Manorama Online, Bindu speaks about the relentless struggles these women face each day in carrying forward their protest and how a government that should have shown compassion and settled the issue through meaningful discussions has instead allowed the situation to reach this critical point.

The excruciating realities of ASHA workers’ lives
Every woman arriving at the protest site each day, demanding a modest wage hike, carries with her a story of immense hardship. Their struggles are not just about salaries but about survival too. For instance, an ASHA worker whose son has been bedridden with a spinal injury after an accident. Before making her way to the protest venue, she tends to him --bathing him, feeding him, and ensuring he is comfortable.

Another protester, set to begin her hunger strike next, has a husband suffering from kidney failure. Each day, she takes him to the hospital for dialysis before joining the protest. As if that is not enough, her mother is battling cancer. Stories like these are heartbreakingly common among the women leading the agitation as each of them carry burdens heavy enough to fill volumes of books.

One of the ASHA workers who recently went on a hunger strike lost her husband eight years ago. Her daughter, a tutor, has an infant child, and she was the one expected to look after the baby when the daughter goes for work. Yet, she chose to stand with her fellow protesters, pushing through exhaustion until she collapsed and had to be hospitalised. Even then, she returned to the protest today, unable to stay away.

Anitha, who is currently on hunger strike, doesn’t even have a home to return to. Her house was on the brink of attachment until a local Orthodox church stepped in with financial help. One of her family members is also battling cancer. Despite enduring so much in their lives, these ASHA workers are also being subjected to harassment from district-level officials pressuring them to withdraw from the protest.

What led to the decision to protest in front of the Secretariat? Why did you decide to hold a round-the-clock protest in the first phase?
The government order announcing the decision to retire ASHA workers was issued on March 2, 2022. From that moment, we have been demanding its withdrawal, insisting that the decision should only be implemented after ensuring proper retirement benefits for ASHA workers. Protests were staged across the state, pressing for this demand. Following this, the Health Minister announced that the order had been frozen. But we wanted it completely withdrawn. We also submitted multiple memoranda to the state government, urging them to revoke it.

On August 16, we organised a march to the Secretariat to amplify our demands, which included increasing the honorarium, providing retirement benefits and regularising ASHA workers

During a meeting at the Secretariat on December 4, we submitted a memorandum listing 22 demands. One key demand was that the criteria for honorarium be scrapped and that both the honorarium and incentives be disbursed together before the 5th of every month. On January 25, we took out another march to the Secretariat. Similar programmes were organised across all districts, with memoranda submitted to the DMO and District Collector.

By then, ASHA workers had already been waiting for two months of unpaid honorariums and three months of pending incentives. We had made it clear that if ASHA workers were not given due consideration in the state budget on February 7, we would launch a round-the-clock protest in front of the Secretariat. However, the government completely ignored us in the budget, triggering widespread outrage among ASHA workers. Thus, on February 10, we launched our continuous protest in front of the Secretariat.

Under what circumstances did the protest become indefinite and escalate to hunger strikes and symbolic acts like cutting hair?
When we first launched the round-the-clock protest, we had a meeting with the Health Minister at the Assembly. However, she dismissed our agitation as unwarranted and that was a response that insulted the struggles of ASHA workers. She claimed that some of the demands raised during a CITU-led protest had already been approved and questioned the need for another demonstration.

She also stated that the government could not increase the honorarium due to a financial crisis, saying that additional funds would only be given if and when the Centre allocated them. This response left us with no choice but to extend the protest indefinitely.

Meanwhile, government ministers and other political leaders launched attacks against the protest, using the entire administrative machinery to discredit our movement. Despite these efforts to break our spirit, we pressed forward. On February 15, we held a family gathering of ASHA workers and on February 20, hundreds of ASHA workers came together for a mass assembly. On International Women’s Day on March 8, we organised a programme, followed by a march to the Secretariat.

Even as the protest was intensifying, the government attempted to sidetrack the movement. For instance, they suddenly announced a statewide palliative training session just a day before laying siege to the Secretariat. The government has not been willing to discuss the actual demands raised by us. Our demands for a minimum retirement security of ₹5 lakh for ASHA workers and an increase in their honorarium to ₹21,000 per month are not excessive, and we cannot back down.

When the government continued to ignore us, we escalated the protest. On the 39th day, we declared a hunger strike, an act of self-sacrifice that should have moved any compassionate administration. Yet, the minister and officials kept repeating the same excuses, refusing to hold meaningful discussions.

By the 50th day, with no response from the government, we decided to symbolically cut our hair in protest. Since bringing all ASHA workers to Thiruvananthapuram is financially impossible for us, plans are afoot to stage similar protests at the district level.

Did you expect the strike to last this long and face such opposition? What led to the decision to seek only support from political organisations rather than their direct intervention?
We never expected the strike to drag on for 50 days. However, we were aware of how the government had treated other protest movements in the past. For instance, during the CPO protest, the protesters resorted to extreme demonstrations like rolling on the road, walking on their knees, even lying in coffins. Yet this government refused to address their concerns.

But still, we believed that a women-led protest, demanding fair and reasonable rights, would receive a more compassionate response. When ASHA workers in Karnataka staged a similar protest, the government intervened and attempted to resolve the issue by the fifth day itself. But here, rather than engaging in meaningful discussions, the government has tried to sabotage the protest, using state machinery to discredit and insult the protesters. That is why the strike has prolonged beyond what we initially expected.

One key realisation that kept us going was that this movement, beyond politics, represents the collective spirit of ASHA workers. There were deliberate attempts to defame the protest, branding it as being linked to SDPI and Jamaat-e-Islami, even though these groups have absolutely no connection to our struggle.

We understood that if such political branding took hold, it could damage the credibility of our movement. That’s why we chose to seek support from across society, including political parties, without allowing any one group to take over.

Even as the strike has reached 50 days, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has not been willing to engage in direct discussions. Do you ever wonder what would have happened if either Oommen Chandy or V S Achuthanandan were in the CM’s seat?
We are not here to draw comparisons, but we believe that a more responsible and empathetic approach would have been taken by the government back then. Informed politicians who are well-versed in labour struggles and have first-hand experience in handling worker protests understand how to engage with movements that raise genuine and justified demands.

A government’s role is also about listening to the concerns of its people and take steps in favour of people’s interest. Unfortunately, as this strike has prolonged due to the government’s indifference, and as more political and social organisations have extended their support, the government has started branding our protest as politically motivated drama.

However, the people of Kerala have rejected this narrative. The support we have received from the public has shown that society believes this strike must not fail at any cost. The government, however, refuses to acknowledge this public sentiment.

At the end of the day, this government does not just represent a single party or organisation but the entire 3.5 crore people of Kerala. Once in power, a government must listen to every voice and engage with them. That is what governance in a true democracy should look like.

How have you managed to sustain the strike, bringing together so many women from different districts and diverse backgrounds? Beyond your leadership, what is it that keeps them united?
At the protest venue, there are no leaders, only a shared cause. We are moving together as one, like a family, beyond narrow-mindedness or personal concerns. This strike is not just an isolated event; it is a continuation of our collective struggle over the past decade.

The women standing with us believe firmly in our demands and in the principle that there can be no compromise. We have moved forward by engaging in constant discussions, ensuring that every person understands and accepts each phase of our protest. Our commitment and sincerity are evident in our actions. Every decision is made collectively, strengthening our unity and helping us overcome individual limitations. People are shaped through protests like these.

These 50 days have taught us all a powerful lesson in survival. It is this strength of this collective effort that makes us leave behind our daily routines, cook together and sleep on the streets.

It has been over 50 days since I last saw my home, yet my mind is completely occupied with the responsibilities of this movement. And I am not alone. Each one of the women here feel the same. Some who return home find it impossible to stay away. They tell us, "How can we remain in the comfort of our homes when you are still fighting on the streets?"

What has been achieved through the strike so far? Do you think Health Minister Veena George could have intervened more effectively?
The biggest achievement of this strike is that it has brought the struggles of over 10 lakh ASHA workers across the country into the public eye. What started as a protest in Kerala has now become a national discussion, even reaching the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Our protest has already led to significant policy changes elsewhere. After we began our strike, Andhra Pradesh announced gratuity benefits for ASHA workers, and Puducherry increased their honorarium. Even in Kerala, some of our demands, such as dropping the criteria set for retirement, have been accepted by the government.

However, ambiguities still remain regarding the criteria for incentives, which we have demanded be completely removed. The ASHA workers who are not protesting have started receiving their February honorarium and incentives.

Over and above all these, this strike has forced political leaders and trade unions to take a hard look at their own failures. Many leaders have privately admitted feeling guilty for not addressing struggles of people. Some have even spoken about their realisation .Despite being entirely peaceful, our protest has put the government under immense pressure.

How do you respond to claims that the strike is led by the SUCI?
Was it the SUCI behind the strike stages by the CPOs too? This is nothing but a baseless and ill-intentioned campaign aimed at discrediting our movement.

Even the Chief Minister’s response that “not everything can be achieved through protests” reflects a shift in the government’s stance. In its race to climb the Ease of Doing Business rankings, the government now finds labour struggles inconvenient. These are all clear signals of a shift in the government's stance, prioritising its image over social responsibility. Labeling people’s movements as a “rainbow coalition” or attributing them to one political group is just another tactic as part of it.

As the protest continues for so many days, it must be incurring huge expenses for food and accommodation. How are you managing these costs?
We are not collecting money in the name of this protest, nor do we have a big financial backing. Yet, the strike moves forward each day because of the overwhelming support from society. If you sit here for even a few minutes, you will see firsthand that humanity has not died. Ordinary people, including auto-rickshaw drivers, are coming forward to help, donating whatever little they can.

Just the other day, actor Santhosh Pandit visited the protest site and contributed ₹50,000. Despite an advice including from the police for providing medical assistance for ASHA workers on hunger strike, the government has not acceded. Right now, NIMS Hospital has stepped in to provide free medical care.

The good souls who believe in the cause of this protest are offering immense support. It is the people standing behind the protesters who are truly driving this strike forward. We are also supported by a dedicated team of volunteers. Many of them barely get any sleep, yet they work around the clock and make sure every protester is taken care of.

The BJP and Congress argue that the state government should address the demands for honorarium and retirement benefits, while the CPM maintains that it is the Centre’s responsibility to recognise ASHA workers as health workers. What is the protest committee’s take on this?
Even though ASHA work is part of a central project, ASHA workers serve the state directly. Didn’t the Puducherry government raise the honorarium for its ASHA workers? The National Health Mission (NHM) must provide clarity on who is responsible for recruitment.

Our organisation was the first in Kerala to demand the regularisation of ASHA workers. We have taken this demand to Parliament, submitted memorandums to the Centre, and our organization is affiliated with the Scheme Workers of India. This demand to recognise ASHA workers as regular employees, is being raised at the national level by all worker organisations. It is the Centre’s responsibility to approve this. We have been also demanding to the Centre that the incentive, which was set 17 years ago, be increased.

However, in Kerala, our key demands are raising the honorarium and ensuring retirement benefits. These issues should not be conflated. The claim that we are protesting against the Kerala government while sparing the Centre is completely wrong. It is a politically motivated campaign with ill intent.

Would an initiative by local bodies to independently raise the honorarium for ASHA workers be beneficial? Do you support such a move?
That is never going to be a sustainable solution for the issues faced by ASHA workers. However, it is encouraging to see that many now recognise the legitimacy of our demands. The stance of local bodies on increasing honorariums may shift with changes in leadership, but it is reassuring that several have shown a willingness to understand the challenges ASHA workers face.

The president of Vechoochira Panchayat, the first to announce an independent decision to raise honorariums, also acknowledged this concern while visiting us. Even if local bodies are prepared to provide higher pay, they still require approval from the state government. We have all seen how the Local Self-Government Minister, M B Rajesh, has responded to this matter. So, we will have to wait and see how things unfold.