200 hospital workers hold dharna

PANJIM, FEB 2
Around 200 temporary workers from premier government hospitals today held a dharna at Kadamba bus stand demanding that they be regularised in services.
The workers employed at Goa Medical Collage (GMC) and Hospital, Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour (IPHB), Chest hospital and Dental College, Bambolim forwarded memorandum to Chief Minister Digamber Kamat and Health Minister Vishwajeet Rane putting across their several demands.
Christopher Fonseca, general secretary of All India trade Union Congress (AITUC) said that government should regularize the services of all these employees on the permanent rolls.
“Chief Minister last year had assured that all the Class VI workers will be regularized. However, there has been no effort on government side over the issue,” he said.
“We request the ministry to intervene in the present matter to regularize the services of 208 employees on the permanent rolls,” the memorandum reads.
“New hospitals are being opened in Mapusa, Margao and other areas while GMC is being upgraded. We urge upon you that all these 208 workers should be taken on the rolls of these hospitals,” it added.
The agitating workers mainly belong to the categories of housekeeping, cleaning, sweeping, attendants and ward boys.
The protestors have also demanded that no new recruitments be done on regular vacancies or on contract basis in any of these hospitals until these presently employed workers are confirmed in service.
Apart from this, the workers have also demanded to revise the salaries and to pay the salaries and allowance on the principle of ‘equal pay for equal work’.
The memorandum also states that the eligibility age for regularization may enhance to 50 years in case of these workers.