ASHA Workers’ Strike a Test of Strength for Haryana Government

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has strongly condemned the ongoing actions taken by the Haryana government of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and expressed its outrage at the repression and police brutality experienced by striking ASHA workers and union leaders. The CITU has demanded that the state government resolve the ongoing indefinite strike through a bipartite dialogue and called for an immediate end to the authoritarian measures.

The Haryana government has brutally suppressed the ASHA workers, who have been on a statewide indefinite strike since August 8, 2023. After months of trying to engage with the state government to address their justifiable demands, which had gone unanswered and unacknowledged, the strike was started as a last resort. Their rights and working conditions are the subject of these demands.

When the ASHA employees and labour leaders attempted to plan a nonviolent protest in front of the State Assembly to voice their concerns, the situation worsened. But in response, the state’s law enforcement agencies launched a harsh crackdown. The leaders, including Sunita, general secretary of the ASHA Workers Union, Surekha, president of the ASHA Workers Union and the CITU Haryana State Committee, Jaibhagwan, general secretary of the CITU Haryana State Committee, and Sunita, president of the CITU Haryana State Committee, were not only harassed and detained but also treated inhumanely.

According to reports, the detained leaders were denied access to necessities like drinking water and restrooms. ASHA employees as a whole were subjected to repression, with the police making hundreds of arrests in an effort to instill fear and intimidation. The ASHA employees remained steadfast and persisted in their strike in a show of unwavering resolve despite these brutal actions.

The CITU has urgently called the Haryana BJP government, pleading with them to change their minds and step in to end the strike. The organization has additionally urged the state government and the chief minister of Haryana to launch democratic bipartite negotiations to address the issues raised by the striking employees and trade union leaders.

The CITU has mobilized the working class and its affiliated organizations in support of the Haryana ASHA workers. The organization has praised the ASHA employees for their tenacity and cohesion in the face of adversity.