MP: 19,000 contractual health workers on an indefinite strike

Bhopal, May 25 (PTI) Amid the coronavirus pandemic, nearly 19,000 contractual health workers in Madhya Pradesh have gone on an indefinite strike for various demands including parity in the monthly salaries with regular employees.

The strike which began on Monday has started affecting health services, according to sources.

"We are demanding 90 per cent of the salary which is paid to regular employees as per the 2018 policy," MP Samvida Health Workers Karmachari Sangh president Sunil Yadav told reporters.

Yadav said the state government is paying salaries as per the 2018 policy to the contractual employees of the ten other departments, "but is denying the same treatment to the health department staff who are serving even during the pandemic by endangering their own lives”.

He claimed that they resorted to the strike as the government failed to take action on their demands even after the submission of multiple memorandums.

Yadav said 2,500 other associate employees of the health department are supporting the strike.

"These employees worked on contract for 12 years but the government in 2019 ended their services and outsourced their jobs to an agency which is now exploiting them. We also demand that these 2,500 employees be hired on a contractual basis by terminating the services of the outsourced agency,” Yadav added.

He said the strike will continue till their demands are met.

Leader of Opposition Kamal Nath supported the demands of the striking workers.

“Temporary health workers, paramedical and nursing staff employed during the corona pandemic went on an indefinite strike. Their services were availed by the government and the general public during the pandemic and they served the people by endangering their own lives. They successfully did the job of sampling and are working in COVID care centres for checking the spread of the coronavirus. Such corona warriors should be encouraged.

"I demand the state government to merge their employment in the contractual cadre in view of the services they have rendered during the pandemic,” Nath tweeted. PTI MAS NSK NSK