Anganwadi workers demand pay hike, permanent jobs

Coimbatore: More than 350 anganwadi workers, working under the Integrated Child Development Services Scheme, protested in front of the district collectorate on Monday demanding a salary hike and to make their jobs permanent as well as provide all accompanying benefits.
Workers said their salary was last increased to Rs 13,300 per month in 2006. Since then prices have increased multifold.Besides, other perks attached with government jobs like pension, maternity leave of nine months and “surrender able leaves” were not available to us, they said.
Many of the protesters had joined the programme during its inception in the state in 1982, they said. “Besides taking care of children in anganwadis, we distribute nutrition kits to pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, cross check pregnant women who have pre-registered in the PICME programme and organize, along with village health nurses, vaccination drives for children,” said one of their spokespersons, S Shanthi.
Despite undertaking such critical works for women and children, we were neither made permanent employees nor brought under any pay commission or grade, they said.
“In 2006, our salary was increased and structured into basic pay, house rent allowance, dearness allowance and medical insurance of Rs 280 per month, etc. Before that, we had fixed salary based on “no work, no pay” policy,” said another worker Kavitha. “In the present situation, the salary of Rs 13,300 is not enough for the work we take on,” she added.
Shanthi said they want benefits like pension, maternity leave of nine months unlike the central government fixed six months and leaves that can be surrendered and encashed like government employees. “We have only a few sick leave days and on top of that we lose our pay when we take sick leave,” she said.
Workers threatened to continue the protest till their demands are met.