Anganwadi, ASHA workers call off strike in Bengaluru ahead of talks with Union ministers

BENGALURU: Anganwadi workers, helpers, midday meal workers and ASHA workers called off their strike ahead of a meeting with the Union ministers from the state to be held in New Delhi on Wednesday.

S Varalakhmi, who led the protest across the state, told TNIE that Union ministers HD Kumaraswamy and Pralhad Joshi had requested them to call off the strike and come for talks to Delhi.

She said, “Nothing has been promised yet but we will be heading to Delhi to place our demands and seek a deadline to fulfill the demands.”

On Monday, leaders representing anganwadi and midday meal workers had given a call for indefinite strike against the central government for not including them under the four new labour codes, regularisation of their jobs, increment in their salaries and not providing them facilities like ESI and Provident Fund.

The strike had begun on December 1 at Freedom Park and was supposed to go on for 10 days.

The Centre has identified 29 labour laws comprehensively into four labour codes including wages, industrial relations, social security, Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and working conditions.

Indira Bai (45), an anganwadi worker in Chincholi, earns a salary of Rs 12,000 per month. She said, “For two days (Monday and Tuesday), the anganwadi services and midday services were impacted across the state. We want the central government to fulfill our demands and regularise our jobs.”