Panchkula: National Health Mission contract workers protest rationalisation policy

The workers highlighted that there were as many as 12,000 people who were employed at various positions in the hospitals across the state under the NHM programme. “Many of the workers had been in the services for the past five to 10 years. And now the government wants to take away our jobs on the pretext of rationalisation. The economic condition of the employees is worst as they have not been paid salaries for the past two months,” said a worker.

The workers, consisted of ayurvedic medical officers, nurses, lab technicians, pharmacist, auxiliary nurse midwife, Asha workers and other headquarter clerical staff, were demanding regularisation of their services, payment of salaries in time and equal work-equal pay.

President of the workers’ union Surinder Gautam said: “The present government election manifesto promised to regularise the services of contract employees. Even the authorities concerned had promised to pay the salaries by the 10th of every month and stated that they would not remove any worker. But no action has been taken in this regard till date.”
The patients at the hospital had to face inconvenience as many of them had to return after they came to know about the strike.