Hailed as Covid warriors, but no bonus: Chandigarh PGI non faculty staff to hold protest on Diwali

Approximately 5,000 group B (non-gazetted), C and D employees will not receive the bonus

Miffed over not being given a Diwali Bonus, members of the Non Faculty Union of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research will hold a protest on the day of the festival (November 14) at the rally ground in Sector 25.

Non faculty staff of PGIMER will not be getting Diwali bonus this year.(HT Photo)

The union has accused the PGIMER administration of not holding talks with them and said the deadlock over employee welfare issues had also not been resolved.

“No measures have been undertaken by the government on overall fiscal management. Till then, this is the right of the healthcare workers and the bonus should be given to the employees from the internal revenue generated by the institute if it is not provided by the government,” said Ashwani Munjal, president of the PGI Employees Union of Non Faculty Members.

“Since there are orders from the (Punjab and Haryana) high court prohibiting protests on the institute’s campus, the employees will protest at the rally ground instead. Employees on emergency and Covid-19 duties will not participate,” he added.

After the health ministry in the recent communication directed the institute to desist from paying the non productivity linked bonus till the finance ministry’s nod, the PGIMER administration has been silent on the matter.

Nurses at the institute were also surprised when authorities said they were “helpless” in sorting out the bonus issue.

Satyaveer Dagur, general secretary of the Nurses Union, said autonomous bodies such as PGIMER had been at the forefront of dealing with the pandemic and such decisions affected the morale of the workers.

“On Diwali, we will not light up our homes and post photographs on social networking sites. It will represent the real picture. What purpose has it served to show solidarity with the frontline warriors of the Covid-19 pandemic by turning off house lights and lighting candles and oil lamps early during the pandemic?” questioned Dagur.

Approximately 5,000 group B (non-gazetted), C and D employees will not receive the bonus. Group B includes nursing officers, office superintendents, and personal assistants; Group C comprises clerical staff on different pay scale levels, and Group D employees are hospital and sanitation attendants.