The police had to be called in at the National Health Mission office in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, on Monday after 108/102 ambulance service contract workers led by CPI(M) MLA Rakesh Singha stormed the building demanding joining letters.
The standoff ended after the protesters left NHM director Hemraj Bairwa’s office at 9 pm following a series of arguments and deliberations, The Tribune reported. The NHM “assured” the workers that company representatives would be present at the next meeting on February 14, said Vijender Mehra, president, state Centre of Indian Trade Unions. “The company will not recruit anyone till then.”
The protesters, demanding offer letters from the new company operating the ambulance service in the state, are part of the wider strike of the NHM contractual staff demanding regularisation of services. The strike has affected healthcare services, including COVID-19 sampling, testing, reporting and vaccination, across the state with around 2,000 contractual employees joining the protest last week.
Protesting outside the NHM office for more than a week, the ambulance workers lost their patience on Monday. Alleging collusion between the NHM and GVK EMRI, which was earlier operating the ambulance service, Singha said that the company was allowed to leave without clearing the dues of its employees. “The employees are being looted by everyone, and this can’t be accepted,” Singha told The Tribune.
Singha and Mehra had earlier said that more workers across the state would be mobilised to seek justice for the ambulance workers. “We are warning the NHM and the state government to continue the services of all the 108/102 contract workers or else a massive agitation would be launched,” said Singh, who had joined the protest last week.
“Throwing those people out of service who worked tirelessly during the pandemic to save others can’t be accepted. The company will have to offer jobs to all these people,” Singha had said last week.
The 108/102 Contract Workers Union convener Manohar Lal alleged that the new company had illegally thrown out around 200 ambulance employees out of job. “Most of them had been working with the old company for almost a decade. Denying these experienced people jobs, the company has recruited new people,” he told The Tribune.
