The National Health Mission (NHM) staff across the district went on a pen-down strike on Tuesday to protest the delay in salaries for the last two months.
The workers staged a protest demonstration at the civil hospital and claimed that they haven’t received salaries since October.
“We didn’t get our salary for October. It is December already. Without salaries, how are we expected to survive?” lamented Amarinder Singh, a clerk at civil hospital under the NHM.
“We have gone on a pen-down strike. We will come to work but not perform our duties in protest of the non-payment of salaries. If salaries are not paid soon, we may have to go on a complete strike,” said Amarinder.
District nodal officer NHM, Dr Amanpreet Kaur, said that the NHM workers make a significant percentage of the workers at the community healthcare centres and primary healthcare centres in the district, and as such, the work at these facilities will be affected.
A lot of NHM workers are also posted at the civil hospital. Senior medical officer (SMO), Dr Akhil Sareen, said, “We have a lot of NHM workers across different positions like doctors, nurses, lab technicians, and clerks here, but the bulk of the workforce is either regular or outsourced. There will be some effect, but most services will continue unaffected.”
Civil surgeon Dr Ramandeep Kaur said, “I received a representation of NHM workers. We have written to the mission director, NHM, regarding the issue. We expect this to be solved soon.”
{{/usCountry}}Civil surgeon Dr Ramandeep Kaur said, “I received a representation of NHM workers. We have written to the mission director, NHM, regarding the issue. We expect this to be solved soon.”
{{/usCountry}}President of NHM Employees Union Punjab, Gulshan Sharma, said that the delay in salaries had become a regular affair over the last few months. “Our salaries are always late. We have been getting the salaries around the 20th of the month. Now, since October, we haven’t received the salary at all,” he said.
The union had submitted a memorandum to the MD of NHM on November 27 to address the issue of regular salary delays. “But no action was taken on the request. So we are left with no option but to protest,” he said.