Strike @ Red Cross

More than 100 hospital workers at Red Cross Maternity and Child Welfare Hospital went on a day-long strike, protesting the management’s decision to withdraw all their employee benefits.

More than 100 hospital workers at Red Cross Maternity and Child Welfare Hospital went on a day-long strike, protesting the management’s decision to withdraw all their employee benefits.

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Red Cross Maternity and Child Welfare Hospital, a 100-bedded facility in Seemapuri in northeast Delhi, is in shambles. On any given day, there are no more than two doctors running the show.

According to sources in the hospital, the pharmacy is unlicensed and the hospital license hasn’t been renewed for several years.

To make matters worse, say staff members, the management removed the provident fund (PF) component from their salaries and all entitled leaves— casual (12), medical (10) and privilege leaves (30).

“We were anyway not being paid close to government salaries and to add insult to injury they have also decided to withhold our PFs,” said Sister Elizabeth Matthew, ward in charge, who has been with the hospital for 20 years. Management in turn, cries helplessness. “What do we do? We are running in losses,” said S.L. Gupta, treasurer and advisor at the Red Cross Hospital.

“The staff is a bunch of liars. We are paying them at par with government salaries.”