Nearly one crore ‘Scheme Workers’ including the Anganwadi, ASHA and Mid Day Meal workers are delivering the basic services of nutrition and health to the majority of the people will go on one day strike tomorrow, 24 September 2021. The strike call is given by the Joint platform of Scheme Workers consisting of the organizations of scheme workers affiliated to the central trade unions – INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, AICCTU, LPF and UTUC.
Thousands of anganwadi ASHA, mid day meal workers will strike work and mobilize at district/block headquarters. The Scheme workers through this strike are pressing for the immediate demands of safety at work, risk allowance and insurance cover during covid duty and long pending demands of regularization as workers, minimum wages, social security and pension and against privatization. The unions will submit memorandum with these demands addressed to the Prime Minister of India in at all centres. (A copy attached)
Not to mention about the 45th ILC recommendations of regularization, minimum wages and pension to all scheme workers, more than ten lakh ASHA workers have shouldered the total responsibility of reaching out to the people to access the healthcare during the pandemic with a monthly remuneration of Rs.2000 and additional Rs.1000 per month for six months! Anganwadi workers are not even categorized as frontline warriors by the government while they were asked perform covid related health services and door to door delivery of nutrition! Mid day meal workers are put on duty in covid centres but not even paid their wages of Rs.1000 per month (for only ten months a year)! Modi government has cut down the budget for these schemes during the pandemic! The government has forced the workers to go for a strike as a warning.
The demands also include the basic rights of the people, especially the children – right to food/nutrition, health and education by strengthening and universalizing free and quality basic services. The Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions as well as the Samyukta Kisan Morcha had expressed solidarity and support to the strike. We call upon the working people of the country to support the demands of the scheme workers.
We request all the print and visual media of the country to cover the strike as well as the issues and demands raised by it.
Issued by
A R Sindhu
For Joint Platform of Scheme Workers Federations
N B :- Mobilisations will be held in Delhi- NCR at districts
Contacts – Faridabad- 9999517717 (Nirantar Parashar) 9268682056(Sudha);
Sonepat – 9466437696(Ananad Sharma), 8222066120(Sunita)
JOINT PLATFORM OF SCHEME WORKERS FEDERATIONS
INTUC AITUC HMS CITU
AIUTUC TUCC AICCTU LPF UTUC
