Hyderabad: Now, OGH outsourcing staff up in arms

Hyderabad:Soon after a day of hard-hitting protests by the outsourcing nurses of Gandhi Hospital, now outsourcing nurses and patients care group of Osmania General Hospital (OGH) have boycotted elective and emergency COVID-19 duties demanding hike in salary.

Around 217 Outsourcing nurses of OGH staged a protest on the hospital premises on Thursday. The protesting nurses rue over the delay in monthly payments and irregular salary structure of employees.

"We demand as per new GO (Government Order) we want Rs 25,000 salary per month + incentives of Rs 750 every day + yearly increments in the same way which was promised for the Gandhi outsourcing nurses. We have been working here for five years under the patient care group, but till date, we didn't receive any appointment order and salary clarifications. As per the rule our basic salary must be Rs 17,500 per month at present, but we are receiving only Rs 10,350 per month," said G Hemalatha, General Secretary, Telangana Government Hospital Nurses Association.

The protesting senior nurses claim that they -weren't receiving their salaries for the past five years as promised by the government that they will be paid Rs 17,500 but till date they have not received at least once and their services go unrecognised.

One of the agitating nurses, Padma said that they weren't receiving their promised monthly salaries on time and no paid leaves and are requesting a solution for it, as it is becoming a regular problem. "We want to be regularised according to the experience and seniority. We strictly demand that the Telangana government to permanent the duties of all the outsourcing nurses, working since a decade," she added.

At the same time, nurses and other paramedical staff like lab technicians, x-ray technicians and others were facing the same problems for many long years.

"We are around 217 outsourcing nurses in the hospital working for covid patients by risking our lives. But we are disappointed that we are not paid our last month salary, and the March salary was paid without adding the 10 percent hike. We request higher authorities to accept our request with utmost priority and help us get paid our monthly wages on time with the promised incentives," said V lakshmi, Nurse, Osmania General Hospital.

"We received March salary recently and have no clue when we will be paid our April and May salaries. We are promised to be paid regular salaries every time we stage protest but nothing changed in the past 15 years and we are also not receiving 10% Covid duty allowances as promised by chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao.," said V Lakshmi, a nurse.

MAIN ISSUES

• Salaries not disbursed on time. Forced to wait for at least 3 months for wages

• Official basic salary is Rs 17,500 pm but nurses receive only Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000

• Authorities cut Rs 1,750 pm toward ESI but ESI cards not given; PF numbers not given

WHAT THEY WANT

• Rs 25,000 monthly salary along with the daily incentives and quarantine leaves

• Clarity on ESI and PF deductions; Regular monthly payments without delays