We request the Kerala Government to take necessary actions to end the day/night strike of the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers in front of the Kerala secretariat for the last 17 days by meeting their just demands. ASHA workers were the backbone of our valiant fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. However, their work is not acknowledged by our society or our government. The honorarium they receive is paltry compared to the important work they are
doing.

We feel that their demands are just. They demand that 1)Increase the honorarium to Rs 21000 per month, 2) Clear the backlog of wages for the last three months, 3) Revoke the unilateral decision to fix the retirement age to 62, and 4) Provide a lump sum amount of Rs 5 lakh as a retirement benefit.

Instead of holding a discussion with the striking ASHA workers, Health and Finance ministers of Kerala and some of the ruling CPI (M) activists and CITU trade union leaders are indulging in insult and ridicule. They even question the right of these workers to organise and strike for their just demands. The government is trying to intimidate the intellectuals and social activists who addressed the striking ASHA workers using the police force. This is ridiculous and childish and not becoming a democratic polity. The Kerala government must stop the vilification of the striking workers and stop the efforts to crush this just strike with the police force.

The apathy of the Kerala government towards the striking workers is justified in social media by the self-declared spokes-persons of the government by arguing that the honorarium of the ASHA workers is decided by the Union Government and they should not strike in front of the Kerala secretariate. If it is the responsibility of the Union Government, it is the responsibility of the State Government to raise the issue with the Union Government and find a solution. The Kerala
government can not put the blame on the Union Government and escape from its responsibility towards the ASHA workers of Kerala.

We request the Government of Kerala to start a dialogue with the striking ASHA workers immediately and find a solution for their just demands.

• Teesta Setalvad
• Justice Markandey Katju
• K. Sachidanandan
• K. G. Sankara pillai
• K. Ajitha
• Anand Patvardhan
• Lalita Ramdas (former Chair, Greenpeace international)
• Dr. Ram Puniyani (All India Secular Forum)
• B. Rajivan
• 10. M. N. Karassery
  11. K. C. Narayanan
  12. C V Balakrishnan
  13. Riyaz Komu
  14. J. Devika
  15. T. T. Sreekumar
  16. K. G. Thara
  17. Joy Mathew
  18. M. R. Rajan (Filmmaker)
  19. Neelan
  20. K. T. Ram Mohan
  21. E. V Ramakrishnan
  22. Savithri Rajeevan
  23. Chandramathi
  24. V. M. Girija
  25. Rafeeq Ahammed
  26. Anvar Ali
  27. P. N. Gopikrishnan
  28. Subash Chandran
  29. Unni. R
• 30. C. S Venkateswaran
• 31. Prasanna Rajan
• 32. V. Vijayakumar
• 33. Prof. Shamsul Islam (Writer)
• 34. Susmit Bose (Musician)
• 35. K. Sahadevan
• 36. Sivaji Panikkar
• 37. Ratnakaran Mangad
• 38. R. Rajagopal (Formar Editor, Telegraph)
• 39. Dr. S. Faizi (Ecologist)
• 40. Joshy Joseph (filmmaker)
• 41. Damodar Prasad
• 42. Sheeba Ameer Ali
• 43. Satyasagar
• 44. Aruna Rodrigues (environmentalist)
• 45. Meera Sanghamitra
• 46. Rama Sundari (Mathrika – Andhra Pradesh)
• 47. Sajai K. V
• 48. Sajitha Sankar
• 49. Premchand
• 50. Dr. Azad Malayatil
• 51. P. K. Srinivasan
• 52. G. Dileepan
• 53. A. Prathapan
• 54. P E Usha
  55. K. Vinod Chandran
  56. S. Jagadeesh Babu
  57. J. Raghu
  58. Karunakaram
  59. M. Rajivkumar
  60. Gopinath Harita
  61. Harinarayanan
  62. C. Anoop
  63. T. K. Vinodan
  64. Anitha. S (Tree Walk)
  65. G. Arunima
  66. Gargi (Haritakam)
  67. Johny. M. L
  68. Ashalatha
  69. K. Rajagopal
  70. Priyadas Mangalath
  71. Mini Mohan
  72. P. C. Josy
  73. Praveen Pilassery
  74. Ambika (Maruvakku)
  75. Sridhar Radhakrishnan
  76. K. Rajan
  77. T. R. Venugopalan
  78. Abheesh Sasidharan
  79. Subrahmanian Naduvalath
  80. V. U. Surendran
  81. Wilfred. K. P (Visual Artist)
  82. Mustafa Desamangalam
  83. Ebin Geevarghese
  84. Rajesh Erumely
  85. Jagadeeshan Kalathil
  86. Babuji
  87. P. P. Satyan
  88. Biju Rocki
  89. Agastine Kuttanellur
  90. Sudheesh Raghavan
  91. Asok Kumar
  92. Ganesh Panniyath
  93. Sachin Malayatil
  94. Dr. Bindu. M. P
  95. K. T. Shahul Hamid
  96. Cherukara Sunny Lukose