Day 2: J&K NHM staff continue stir, seek equal pay for equal work
Defer strike after assurances by Health Minister, Mission Director
Srinagar, Apr 02: National Health Mission (NHM) employees in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday continued their stir for the second consecutive day, holding protests across hospitals and seeking a concrete policy to address their long-pending concerns.
“We are here to demand our rights. We seek equal pay for equal work, and this is not an extra demand. We were promised that our genuine demands would be fulfilled, but nothing has happened,” said a female employee during a protest rally outside a hospital in Baramulla.
“We are the same employees who worked during COVID-19 as frontline workers, saving lives without worrying about our own families and loved ones,” she added.
NHM employees said the government is duty-bound to resolve the issues of staff who have been contributing to the healthcare sector at the grassroots level.
The employees also protested at the premises of Trauma Hospital in Pattan, reiterating their demands and seeking immediate intervention from the authorities.
NHM Employees’ spokesperson Mohammad Shafi Para said the protesting staff are demanding a comprehensive job policy to ensure security of tenure, along with immediate revision of salaries in line with their responsibilities.
Expressing concern over job insecurity and inadequate remuneration, Para said employees have played a crucial role, particularly during challenging times.
More than 12,000 employees working under NHM in J&K hospitals participated in the protests across all districts, demanding salary revision, regularization, and job security.
The J&K National Health Mission Employees Association (JKNHMEA) had announced a 48-hour stir from Wednesday across the Union Territory.
However, on Thursday evening, the association deferred the strike after receiving assurances from the Health Minister and Mission Director, NHM, regarding resolution of their demands.
The association’s Chief Spokesperson, Abdul Rauoof, said the government has assured that a policy will be formulated within two months. “We have deferred the strike. We have given two months’ time to the government to come up with a concrete policy,” he said.
Rauoof said the absence of a job policy and fair remuneration has created a deep sense of insecurity among NHM employees. “We have been protesting over the past ten years, but nothing has happened. We were only given assurances. We urge the elected government to formulate a policy for us,” he added.
Meanwhile, Chief Spokesperson of the All J&K NHM Employees Association, Jammu division, Dr Hamid Parray, thanked NHM employees of the Jammu division for their participation in the sit-in protest.
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