Shillong, Dec 5: More than 180 contractual employees appointed during Covid wanted the government to pay their dues by December 11 failing which they threatened to stage indefinite hunger strike.
The emergency care staff appointed by the health department are yet to get salary for more than six months.
On September 31 this year, the services of the contractual medical employees were terminated.
Speaking to reporters after meeting the DHS on Tuesday, one of the aggrieved staff Kasparlin Iawphniaw said after a meeting held with the health minister Ampareen Lyngdoh on November 20, the department had sought 15 days’ time to clear the pending dues.
“However, even after 15 days, we are yet to receive our salary pending from April to September, this year. The delay was despite the department terminating our services,” he said.
He said all terminated contractual employees from different districts are left with no option but to again seek clarification from the office of the DHS.
“The minister has given us false assurance. The DHS informed that they have completed all process and that now the matter is pending with the government,” Iawphniaw said.
“In view of this, we want to take out a protest march to secretariat to meet the chief minister to know the reason behind the delay to release our salary. We do not want to meet the health minister or anyone except the CM,” he said.
On the RTI findings by Disparsing Rani, Iawphniaw said, “We fail to understand why the government is delaying to release our salary when as per the reply to the RTI query, the Centre had already sanctioned funds to the tune of Rs 43 crore.”
He said if the government is not able to clear all pending dues by December 11, the emergency care staff will commence their indefinite hunger strike from December 15.
