E-Paper
Punjab’s 108 ambulance union strike continues, company issues notice
Employees ignore Punjab health minister’s appeal, adamant on meeting CM with demand to take back control of service from private company
The indefinite strike by Punjab’s 108 Ambulance Employees Association entered the second day on Friday with the company running the service, Ziqitza Health Care Limited, issuing termination of service notice to all contractual employees protesting at Ladhowal toll plaza in Ludhiana.
The contractual employees went on strike on Thursday, demanding the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government take back control of the service from the company. They stationed more than 300 ambulances at the toll plaza and held a dharna. There are 325 such ambulances in the state.
Despite state health minister Dr Balbir Singh’s assurance, the ambulance service remained off road, inconveniencing patients and their attendants across the state.
On January 9, the association had given a 72-hour ultimatum to the state government and had gone on strike as their demands had not been met.
Association president Manpreet Singh Nijjer said: “We will continue our strike until our meeting with chief minister Bhagwant Mann is fixed. The company wanted to take back ambulances at Ladhowal, but we will not allow it.”
Won’t budge till demands met: Drivers
Amandeep Singh, the union vice-president, said: “The company issued the notice to us on Thursday night to resume work with immediate effect. 1,400 employees, including ambulance drivers and emergency medical technicians, are protesting here. We will not return to work until our demands are met.”
ZHL’s Punjab head Manish Batra said, “We will resume the ambulance service at the earliest. We have issued notice to the protesting employees to get back to work. The hike they are asking has already been given to them and they have even received arrears in November. We are paying them as per government orders,” Batra said.
‘Meagre hike doesn’t suffice’
Gurjant Singh, 45, a driver of ambulance from Patiala since 2011, said, “Earlier, I was getting ₹9,500 a month and after revision in wages, just ₹200 was added.”
Rajesh Kumar, a member of association, said, “The company has only given wages revised by the Punjab government in April 2021. The amount revised was around ₹180. But no increment has been given.”
They say their counterparts in Haryana get around ₹30,000-35,000 a month.
A private ambulance union has announced support to the protest. Satish Kumar, press secretary of the All Ambulance Association, Punjab, said: “We are supporting the 108 ambulance union. We will also station our 400 private ambulances running in Punjab whenever Nijjer calls for support.”
Started in 2011 to provide free transport to patients, the 108-ambulance service has been in private hands. The latest contract was signed on January 15, 2021, valid for five years.
