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Chandigarh terminates services of protesting NHM workers
Approximately 180 workers were protesting against revised working conditions; health secretary says workers went on strike without giving prior notice
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The UT health department terminated the services of around 180 National Health Mission (NHM) employees after they missed their duties on Thursday to protest against the revised working conditions offered against a salary hike, at Government Multi-Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16.
Around 500 NHM employees, working under the UT health department as doctors, paramedical staff, managerial employees, nursing officers, pharmacy officers, auxiliary nurse midwives, lab technicians, dental technicians and other Group-4 staffers, have been working on salaries lower than the approved minimum wages since 2013.
Earlier in August, over 300 NHM workers went on an indefinite leave for 12 days to press for equal wages for equal work. Following the continuous protest, the UT administration had given a written assurance of salary hike which read: “Finance department has no objection in meeting the additional expenditure of ₹3.92 crore annually to pay salaries at par with DC rate to NHM workers.”
However, two months after the written assurance, the UT health department had on October 26, asked the NHM employees to fill a consent form with revised terms and conditions. As per the new conditions, if NHM employees opt for salaries as per DC rate, their working hours and leaves will be revised. But, if they don’t follow the revised guidelines, (which are being followed by every staff member getting DC rate salaries), they will have to continue with the same salaries.
Patient care hit
Due to non-availability of NHM workers at the government health and wellness centres, especially in rural areas, the general out-patient department services and Covid vaccination drives were hit. Patient care services were also hit at GMSH-16, and the civil hospitals in Sector 22, 45 and Manimajra.
In a notice, UT health secretary Yashpal Garg said, “The NHM staff is insisting on pay equal but don’t want to work for eight hours, as applicable to DC rate staff, and also wants to avail the leaves and benefits applicable under NHM which is not available in case of DC rate staff. The department cannot allow such staff to risk the life of patients, especially when hospitals are full of Covid-19, dengue and malaria patients. To avoid such frequent incidents of indiscipline, we need to deal with it strictly.”
Garg said, “The NHM staff, who have not reported for duty on Thursday, are not allowed to join duties again and a process will be initiated to terminate his/her contractual appointment with immediate effect. They will not be allowed to enter the premises of any health facility and in case of any unauthorised entry, appropriate action will be taken as per the law.”
“The existing staff should be deputed in shifts and extra duty to overcome the staff shortage. The outsourcing agency is requested to provide staff to substitute the protesting NHM staff. During the process, preference may be given to those 81 outsourced employees who were recruited during the second wave of Covid and have been disengaged recently,” he further ordered.
‘Staff to continue strike on Friday’
Amit Kumar, general secretary of NHM union, said, “The UT administration has betrayed the health staff. They had assured us of a salary hike at par with DC rates but now, they are revising our working conditions. We have only asked those NHM workers to protest who are not willing to agree to UT’s move. Of the 500 employees, only 180 protested on Thursday. However, we will continue our protest on Friday as this immediate termination is unethical.”
