THE SERVICES at the Choithram Hospital remained crippled on the fourth day of the employees’ strike with no new admissions. No solution was reached as the hospital management did not attend the meeting called by the Labour Commissioner prompting the agitating workers to burn an effigy of Hospital secretary D L Patidar and throw it at a nearby nullah on Tuesday to protest the rigid attitude of the management.
“But, we are going to attend the meeting tomorrow at 12 noon,” Hospital’s Director (Medical Services) Col (Retd) Dr Kamalakar Vaidya said on Tuesday.
“We needed time to prepare our case and our Labour Officer would attend the meeting tomorrow for sure,” he added. The management had not attended the meeting even on Monday saying that they had received the intimation late.
However, the Choithram Hospital Karmachari Union secretary Pratap Karosia objected saying, “They (the management) do not intend to reach a solution by talking across the table. Let’s see if they come tomorrow.”
Over 1,000 Hospital employees, including sweepers, ward boys, laundry persons, ayahs, nursing assistants and also those from the boiler department have struck work since Saturday in support of their 11 point charter of demands.
Among other things, the employees, under the aegis of Choithram Hospital Karmachari Union and Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, are demanding payment on the collector rate and granting permanent jobs to those who have been working with the hospital for more than 20 years in various capacities.
{{/usCountry}}Among other things, the employees, under the aegis of Choithram Hospital Karmachari Union and Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, are demanding payment on the collector rate and granting permanent jobs to those who have been working with the hospital for more than 20 years in various capacities.
{{/usCountry}}Only emergency ward and the OPD at the hospital functioned on Tuesday while no new admissions were taken considering the shortage of staff. The Hospital management has recruited some people on contractual basis but the numbers are not sufficient.
Meanwhile, the agitating employees burned the effigy of Patidar and threw it into a nearby nullah to protest the management’s rigid attitude.
“Tomorrow, we plan a funeral procession of Patidar and Vaidya. Their effigies would be taken out in a ‘mayat’ form from the hospital gate to their respective residences, where it would be burnt,” Karosia added.