Ambulance staff in Himachal threatens protest if demands on wages, work hours remain unmet
Bilaspur , Employees associated with ambulance services on Friday threatened to go on strike if their demands, including eight hours duty and prompt payments, were not fulfilled in the next seven days, bringing 108 and 102 ambulance services in Himachal Pradesh to a halt.
Employees associated with these services said that the ambulance services will be stopped across the state and the government, National Health Mission Shimla and the operating company Medshwaan would be held responsible.
Bilaspur union president Sanjeev Kumar and deputy president Beeri Singh told the reporters here that the employees of 108 and 102 ambulance services are engaged in serving the public day and night.
Their main demands include, eight hour duty, prompt payment of pending arrears, reinstatement of dismissed employees, recognition of service conditions and no firing of employees without valid reason.
They said that even during the Covid pandemic, the ambulance staff performed their duty with devotion, without caring for their lives. Despite this, the government and management companies are continuously ignoring them.
First the GVK Company and now Medshwaan Company are exploiting the employees, they alleged.
The union said that employees are made to work for 12 hours each, while salaries and facilities are not given as per the labour law, they said and added that despite being in service for the last 14 years, they don't have stability.
The union has warned that they are currently on a pen-down strike, but if the demands are not met, they will stop the work completely.
They have appealed to the people of the state that if ambulance services are disrupted in future, then they should understand the compulsion of the employees and cooperate.
They said that if any loss of life occurs in any kind of emergency during this time, then the responsibility will be of the government and the concerned management.
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