ESI Hospital contract workers protest four months of unpaid salaries

Contract and outsourcing workers at ESI Hospital in Nacharam staged a protest on Thursday over non-payment of salaries for more than four months. The workers, backed by AITUC, accused hospital authorities and contractors of failing to honour promises to clear pending dues and warned of escalating protests.

Hyderabad: Contract and outsourcing workers from ESI Hospital, Nacharam, on Thursday participated in a strike protesting over four months of unpaid salaries.

Over 150 hospital staff drawn from various cadres, who participated in the protests, severely criticised the health authorities and contractors for their negligence.

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AITUC State General Secretary, M. Narasimha, who led the protest, highlighted the contradictory claims made by authorities and contractors over the payment of salaries to contract workers.

“Hospital administration claims that contract employees will receive salaries on the first of every month. However, the harsh ground reality is that the payments to contract workers are never on time. How can one expect contract workers to lead a normal life without salaries for the past four months?” Narasimha questioned.

Recounting the sequence of events that led to the protests, workers said that after submitting a representation to the hospital superintendent a month ago and holding a one-hour protest on October 13, contractors broke their promise to clear dues by October 19, which eventually forced them to take this extreme measure.

The protesting caregivers demanded immediate salary disbursement and warned that they will lay siege to the State Labour Minister’s office if authorities failed to act.