Enhance their wages, give them social security cover: G. H Mir
SRINAGAR, July 26: Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) senior leader and former minister Ghulam Hassan Mir on Sunday expressed serious concern over the plight of employees working on contract basis under National Health Mission (NHM) and RNTCP (Revised National Tuberculosis Programme).
In a statement issued here, Mir said that thousands of such employees including doctors, paramedics and managerial staff who have been working in J&K for the last over one decade on contract basis are facing discrimination in terms of remuneration and social security.
“A huge number of these well qualified professionals are working as frontline workers in COVID-related activities including testing, contact tracing, surveillance and other hospital duties in almost all government run healthcare institutions in J&K. But they are simultaneously facing pay disparity and are not covered under any social security scheme of the government which is totally an injustice with them,” Mir opined.
Disparaging the pay anomalies faced by these employees, the JKAP leader said that despite having similar qualifications, experience and working hours as compared to their regular counterparts, NHM employees are being paid peanuts which is against the principle of equal pay for equal work.
He said that despite working on meager wages as compared to regular staff, these employees are not paid wages on time with the result their families are suffering immensely.
“The fault of such employees is only that they are working on contract basis. Otherwise, they are deemed equal in every respect except for job security, salary and lack of social security cover, which is affecting their social standing and psychological well-being,” he observed.
Mir said that the government must acknowledge their role in fighting the pandemic. “Besides, the government must enhance their salaries and chalk out a social security plan for these hapless employees who are finding it very difficult to meet both the ends,” the JKAP leader remarked.
Demanding regularization of NHM employees the JKAP leader said that the government must go for a comprehensive job policy to get all such contract based employees absorbed permanently in government hospitals in view of the staff requirement.
Mir also demanded that a transfer policy be formulated for such employees, most of whom suffer because of multiple family related issues which cannot be addressed while working at far off places from their respective residences.
He said that the government must address the pressing issues faced by NHM employees and prevent them from taking a confrontationist way to get their issues resolved. “All their genuine demands should be addressed in an amicable manner which will not only resolve their grievances but also ensure smooth functioning of the government hospitals in hard times,” Mir pleaded.
The JKAP leader urged the J&K government led by Lieutenant Governor G.C Murmu to intervene into the matter and see the injustice and inequality with the NHM employees in comparison to their counterparts in regular establishments is removed at an earliest.
