Medical contract workers denied minimum wages in Tirupati

Tirupati: The members of AP Medical Contract Employees and Workers Union have been crying foul over denial of minimum wages as prescribed the government. The union called for protests against this attitude across the State and the workers staged protests for the last three days in all government hospitals and staged dharna on Friday.

The workers have been demanding equal pay for equal work and wages of Rs 18000 per month. They want regularisation of the services of all outsourcing employees and job security.

According to the old GO No 151, they should be paid Rs 12,500 and the government has recently decided to fix the minimum pay of Rs 18,000 per month for which they are entitled to. But, they allege that the security guards and supervisors were not being paid even Rs 12,500 by their contractor and had to contend with just Rs 7,900 which was hiked from Rs 6,000 after several agitations.

The sanitation staff were getting Rs 6,500 per month.For the security staff, even that pay has been pending for the last three months and for sanitation workers it is due since last month. "We were not getting what is due to us and with the meagre pay we find it very difficult to maintain the family.

There is a heavy workload on us and we are forced to do overtime. But, we are not getting overtime payment as per rules," said the protesting workers. They demanded abolition of contract system and hospital management has to take care of their payments and has to pay as per government norms.

Speaking to The Hans India, district secretary of AP Medical Contract Employees and Workers Union K Radha Krishna said that the workers were not having job security. Recently, four security personnel were removed from duties though there was more requirement in Maternity Hospital. When that hospital has 150 beds, 33 security staff were taken on contract basis.

Subsequently, it was upgraded as 300 beds but the number of security staff has not been increased. Moreover, the hospital management has been considering the security staff as daily wage labourers and not even giving weekly offs.

He further said that in Ruia Hospital instead of the approved strength of 133 security guards and supervisors, only 90 personnel are working. Similarly, only 120 sanitation staff have been working as against 160 workers. Accordingly, the contractor was benefitting hugely whereas the workers are burdened with heavy work with low wages.

Radha Krishna along with the district honorary president of the union A Giribabu, president P Mahendra and others met the hospital superintendent Dr V Bhavani and submitted a representation.