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Chandigarh admn hikes NHM, NAS staff’s salaries by up to 10%
All NHM staff, whose salary is less than the current DC rates, will be given up to 10% rise in salary, provided that the increased pay does not exceed 90% of the DC rates
Fulfilling their demand for pay hike, the UT administration has increased the salaries of National Health Mission (NHM) and National Ambulance Service (NAS) staff with retrospective effect from January 1, 2022.
All NHM staff, whose salary is less than the current DC rates, will be given up to 10% rise in salary, provided that the increased pay does not exceed 90% of the DC rates. Also, if the salary is less than 70% of the minimum wages even after the 10% hike, it will be brought up to 70%.
UT will meet the additional annual expenditure from the state budget.
The decision comes after the executive committee, NHM, conducted a meeting under the chairmanship of the UT health secretary on December 31 last year.
It will benefit around 81% of the NHM and NAS staff in Chandigarh. The 19% staff, who will not get any financial benefit, are either already getting salary more than the DC rates or their pay is more than 90% of the DC rates.
The NHM staff will also be given annual increment as per the Union government. In case of changes in the DC rates, there will not be any automatic revision in the salaries.
Notably, in October 2021, 178 NHM employees were terminated after they went on strike without prior intimation to press for salaries at DC rates. Despite termination, the staff went on indefinite strike until they were reinstated on December 7.
Around 500 NHM employees are working under the Chandigarh health department as doctors, paramedical staff, managerial employees, nursing officers, pharmacy officers, auxiliary nurse midwives, lab technicians, dental technicians and other Group-4 staffers. But their salaries have been lower than the approved minimum wages since 2013.
