NHM strike: Govt missing in action as usual
It has been almost a month now that the NHM employees have once again been striking work and have been hitting the roads to press for their regularisation. The striking employees have not joined back their duties despite multiple rounds of meetings between authorities and representatives of NHM in Jammu.
The strike is supported by Joint Employees Coordination Committee of NHM, RNTCP, NACO. There are around 8,000 employees who are working under centrally sponsored NHM, RNTCP and NACO and who have been appointed from 2006. The employees are working as doctors, paramedics at various district, sub-district hospitals across the state.
The NHM employees have been continuing with their protests and strike since January 23, but so far, nothing has happened as the government is not willing to promise anything to the striking employees. This is the second major strike that these employees have resorted to during the recent past as they claim that the previous strike call that ended after two months did not help the employees to fulfill their demands which the government had promised to them.
Earlier in 2018, the NHM employees, while seeking attention of the government towards their demands, had observed a 35-day strike, which ended up after the government and the employees jotted down an agreement, however, the agreement has so far been limited to papers only as the employees claim breach of the agreement by none other than the government itself.
The NHM employees have been complaining of a raw deal and have been pressurizing the government to treat them at par with the regular employees for various service benefits. In 2017 the then PDP-BJP government had announced some relief measures for the employees but so far the NHM employees claim that they have got no benefit.
The government had at that time informed the representatives of the agitating employees that they are aware about their problems and issues and all out efforts are being worked out to address the problems in a phased manner.
The striking NHM employees are demanding benefits of accidental insurance, EPF, paid earned leave/ maternity leave and some other benefits which the regular employees of the state government have been getting from time to time.
However, despite assurances and promises the NHM employees have been crying betrayal by the successive government as their demands have been left unattended. Now they have once again resorted to the last means that had and that is staying away from work.
The strike by these employees has meant that the health care infrastructure has come crumbling down-that too in rural areas. Not only have most of the health centres and other facilities in rural areas been shut for the past one month but the patient care too has suffered a major setback.
As for the regular employees of the government are concerned they have been doing their job but simultaneously they too have been complaining that their workload has increased tremendously owing to the strike by NHM employees. However, one party that is seen missing in any kind of an action is the government. The government has been playing ostrich on this crucial issue and trying to avoid any direct involvement with the striking employees so that a working solution can be arrived at.
KV Network
