AICCTU IN NIMHANS Hospital, Bangalore

Unorganised workers of NIMHANS formed a union, ‘NIMHANS Pragathipara Workers’ Union’, affiliated to AICCTU and its inaugual General Body was held on 22 Feb. 2014. The workers demanded same payment and other service condiitons for the unorganised workers engaged in same and similar kind of work; regularisation of all unorganised workers and bring them under the pay rolls of NIMHANS; Service weightage; Hospital care allowance and Risk Allowance in addition to Privilege Leave, Casual Leave and Government Holidays; mandatory ESI to all and entitlement for treatment in NIMHANS Staff Clinic; Recruitment of more workers to reduce the work burden on existing lesser number of workers and to stick to Patient – Worker Norms for hospitals, etc. The General Body decided on the Demands Charter to be placed before the NIMHANS administration.

Next to PGI, Chandigarh and and Lallaram Hospital in Delhi, NHRM and ASHA workers in Bihar, Jharkhand and other Hindi speaking states, AICCTU has organised contract workers of NIMHANS in Bangalore. After a decisive battle, PGI has won an order of ‘Same payment for same work’ which is roughly equivalent to 23000 being drawn by any government employee in the lowest grade of Group D. NPWU / AICCTU has also joined the Confederation of Central Government Hospital Employees and Workers.

Dr. Pradnya Rajesh Bhargave of NIMHANS SC/ST Welfare Association, V Muthukumaran, Legal Advisor to NIMHANS Employees Association, Ravi R, Vice President of National Tuberculosis Institute Non Gazetted Staf Association addressed the gathering along with Com. Shankar, All India Vice President, S. Balan, Karnataka State President, Appanna, State Secretary of AICCTU and Ranjani of All India Progressive Women’s Association addressed the gathering.

The General Body also decided to send a Workers’ Charter of Demands to be placed before the NIMHANS administration and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of central government for speedy resolution.

Com. Shankar condemned the anti-worker attitude of the central government and demanded NIMHANS administration for early negotiation with the union in order to resolve all outstanding issues of the unorganised workers.

Com. Balan called upon all workers to resort to the path of struggle to win over the demands.

National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) is one of those handful of select medical institutions like AIIMS, Delhi, PGI, Chandigarh and JIPMER, Pondicherry. Recently, it has also won the status of a Deemed University. But, in spite of being a hospital run by the central government, none of the labour laws are in force. The central government, which is also an appropriate government, is showing utter neglect on unorganised workers’ issues.

 

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