ASHA workers protested outside the Kolkata Municipal Corporation on Thursday, seeking payment of several months of pending wages, bonuses, incentives and mobile bills ahead of Durga Puja. The demonstration was organised by the Paschim Banga Poura Swasthya Karmi Contractual Union, which said the workers continued to be assigned duties despite delays in payment.
According to the protesting workers, their wages and other dues have remained unpaid for several months. They also said reimbursement of their mobile bills had been pending for the past eight months. The workers said the unpaid amounts had created financial difficulties while their workload had continued to increase.
The protest highlights the dependence of municipal health systems on contractual and community-based workers whose duties often require regular communication and field-level engagement. In this case, the workers said they were expected to continue working even though payments linked to their employment, including mobile expenses, had not been cleared.
The workers said they had previously approached the relevant officials with their demands. They were then assured that the pending amounts would be paid within a week. The promised period passed without the payment being made, after which the workers decided to demonstrate outside the civic body’s headquarters.
A delegation of the protesting ASHA workers met officials on Thursday. The officials reportedly said that payment for two months of arrears and one month of additional arrears would be made by Thursday evening. The workers, however, expressed doubt over whether the stated amount would actually be transferred.
The reported assurance covers only part of the workers’ broader demands. They are seeking the clearance of all pending wages, bonuses, incentives and mobile-bill reimbursements. The source report does not specify the total number of workers affected, the amount outstanding or the civic department responsible for processing each component of the payment.
The dispute also raises an administrative question about how contractual health workers are paid and monitored within the municipal system. Delays in wages and operating reimbursements can affect workers who perform frontline duties, while uncertainty over payment commitments can prolong disputes between worker groups and civic authorities.
The ASHA workers have said their movement will continue until all their outstanding payments are cleared. The next immediate milestone is whether the payment for two months of arrears and one month of additional arrears, as indicated by officials, is made and whether the remaining demands are addressed.
