Auqib Salam
Srinagar, May 31: Scores of J&K Hospital Development Fund Employees staged protest here to press for their demands.
The employees assembled in Press Colony here demanding implementation of the Minimum Wages Act including other demands.
The employees had assembled under the banner of All J&K Hospital Development Fund Employees Union and alleged that the government has been neglecting them. They said that they risked their lives in Covid while receiving peanuts as salary with no proper job policy.
Nisar Ahmed, President of the Union said that they have certain demands which are not been addressed for years now.
“We have been rendering services in health sector with no job security and not even minimum wages. We demand that the Minimum Wages Act should be implemented and our salaries should come from the finance department like other consolidated workers in health sector. We also want that we should be properly included in SRO 520 that was formulated in 2018,” Nisar said.
The employees said that for the last many years, despite working tirelessly they have to face issues. They said that amid meager salaries they are unable to feed their families.
“We are working as Sweepers, ECG technicians, Drivers and as Physiotherapists, for the past around 18 years, but our future is in dark. How can we feed our families in such working conditions,” said another employee.
The employees said that they will wait for the government’s response till June 15. “If our demands are not met, we will bring our families including children on the roads. We cannot continue to live in such uncertainty for our lives. We request the government not to force us to take any drastic steps,” said another employee.
The employees appealed to the officials from the Health department and LG administration to address their demands without any delay.