Thiruvananthapuram: Even as the agitating ASHA workers refuse to bow down, local bodies are putting pressure on them to return to work. Some councillors of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation reportedly contacted the workers directly, urging them to rejoin duty. As a result, the number of ASHA workers present at the venue of the agitation decreased during the day yesterday, leaving the leaders perplexed.

Meanwhile, Minister V. Sivankutty said the government had already made the maximum possible concessions and that no further compromises would be made. He was responding to the media regarding the memorandum submitted to him by the workers the other day. The workers had approached him in his capacity as Labour Minister to present their demands. He also mentioned that the Health Minister had already held three rounds of discussions on the issue.

However, health department officials clarified that no new instructions had been given for the ASHA workers to return to duty. They said local bodies might be implementing previously issued directives.

According to the government’s new guidelines, workers who do not receive at least ₹500 as incentive for three consecutive months risk losing their jobs. In light of this, some workers have temporarily returned to work, protest committee leaders said. These workers reportedly went to work in the morning and returned to the protest site in the evening. Some who worked for a day rejoined the protest the following day, the leaders added.