Chandigarh: PGI clears long-pending arrears of contractual staff after protests

The workers, under the banner of the joint action committee, had been demanding payment of pending arrears, medical facilities and other benefits

The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) has released pending arrears amounting to over ₹12 crore to its contractual workers. Office orders issued on Friday included the release of the 20% balance arrears for hospital attendants and sanitation workers for the period from October 2018 to January 2024, amounting to ₹12,15,81,856. Arrears worth ₹56,81,852 have also been released to bearers.

Arrears amounting to over ₹12 crore have been released.

There are around 3,500 contractual workers across four categories at PGIMER. The workers, under the banner of the joint action committee, had been persistently demanding payment of pending arrears, medical facilities, and other benefits. Earlier, they had staged a 24-hour chain hunger strike to press their demands.

PGIMER has been availing exemptions under the ministry of labour and employment notification dated December 12, 2014, which permits engagement of contract labour subject to the condition that workers are paid wages and provided service conditions equal to those of the lowest-paid regular employee performing similar work. The 2014 notification had abolished contractual labour in sanitation, security, and catering services. The hospital administration has also decided to release arrears amounting to ₹2 crore to security guards working at PGIMER’s satellite centres in Una and Sangrur.

Meanwhile, PGIMER has sought the release of an additional ₹2.29 crore to clear remaining arrears of contractual workers across various categories.