Health workers protest, demand regular jobs

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, September 12

Contractual multipurpose health workers staged a protest against the state Health Department, demanding regularisation of jobs, at the Civil Hospital on Thursday. Accusing the state machinery of adopting an indifferent approach towards their demands, the protesters raised slogans against the state government as well as the Health Department.

Addressing the gathering, Ranjit Kaur, president of the association, said, “A number of health workers have been rendering their services for the past more than 10-12 years on contract basis. Despite discharging duties diligently, the government is not bothered about regularising our jobs. Leave aside regularisation, we are even forced to work on meagre salaries without any increase or incentives. We demand the implementation of the equal work, equal pay principle.”

The protesting workers alleged that they had been putting forward their demands for a long time, but the state government had failed to act. They added that rather the government was trying to suppress their voice through different means. They threatened to boycott the schemes and policies of the Union Government if the authorities concerned did not fulfil their demands.

“The authorities concerned have stalled the regularisation process citing one reason or the other. It is high time they realise that we are not going to support any new policy or scheme of the government. We will even boycott work if our genuine demands are not met immediately,” she added.