Hamidia Hospital has fired over 50 outsourced employees who had earlier gone on strike for non-payment of salary arrears. The hospital management attributes the move to overstaffing during the COVID pandemic.
Handing out pink slips to the sacked employees, including ward boys, lab technicians, and computer operators, the management has set January 20 as the last day of their services at the hospital. Outsourced employees at the government-run facility have repeatedly gone on strike since November over non-payment of their wage arrears by the hospital management and a private agency responsible for supplying informal workers to the health facility.
In an earlier conversation with The Pioneer, Gandhi Medical College (GMC) Dean Dr Kavita N. Singh had admitted that the tertiary facility can no longer bear the financial burden of the additional employees, as the expenses were beginning to take a toll on student facilities. Though the management has said that there are nearly 400 extra employees at the hospital, Dr Singh stated that not all of them would be sacked.
Outsourced employees have spoken of plans for another strike starting Monday, claiming that the hospital continues to owe the workers salaries for several months. With both the management and employees sticking to their stances, patients and caregivers are sure to bear the brunt of the continuing standoff.