Varanasi: Outsourced staff of DRDO temporary hospital stage protest

The outsourced staff deployed at 750-bedded Pt Rajan Mishra Temporary Hospital on Amphitheatre ground of BHU stopped working and staged a demonstration during wee hours on Sunday

The outsourced staff deployed at 750-bedded Pt Rajan Mishra Temporary Hospital on Amphitheatre ground of BHU stopped working and staged a demonstration during wee hours on Sunday. The employees alleged that they are not being paid the full salary that was promised to them and have received only a part of it. However, they ended the protest later.

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DRDO has made a 750-bedded temporary hospital for treating the Covid-19 patients, which started functioning on May 10.

According to an employee, around 100 people have been hired through outsourcing for the hospital and are working as support staff. The employee said that they were promised a monthly emolument of ₹17,000 each, but now they are being paid only ₹12,000 as a monthly salary.

The employee said that they filed a complaint with the officials of the outsourcing company, but no one paid attention to their demand, therefore they stopped working and started a protest. “We demand that we should be paid the monthly salary that was promised at the time of hiring,” the employee said.

Some officials of the health department reached the spot and appealed to the employees to end the protest. A senior official of the health department, not willing to disclose his name, said that the demonstration ended after the employees were assured that their matter will be addressed.

The DRDO temporary hospital has 250-ICU beds, 250-oxygenated beds and 250 general beds. Army Medical Core (AMC) doctors and the paramedical staff are deployed at the hospital and are treating the patients.