The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Salem News : Resume work as daily wage fixed at Rs. 33

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 02, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Salem

Resume work as daily wage fixed at Rs. 33

By Our Special Correspondent

SALEM, FEB. 1. Sanitary workers of the Salem Government Medical College Hospital today went on a flash strike in protest against the attempt to cut down their daily wages. They resumed work in the evening after an agreement was reached to pay Rs. 33 as daily wages.

There are about 50 persons working as sanitary workers and watchmen in the hospital on daily wages. They said their wages had been systematically reduced during the last three years.

They were employed with Rs. 50 per day for cleaning and removing hospital waste including hazardous materials.

Later, the contractor started reducing their wages first to Rs. 42 and then to Rs. 35. Now it was decided to bring it further down to Rs. 20 per day, the workers said.

They alleged that the contractor had been collecting wages from the hospital authorities as per the norms.

The strike crippled the cleaning works in the hospital, which is being visited by more than 6,000 outpatients a day.

The hospital has nearly 1,500 inpatients and other hospital staff working in shifts.

Immediately the hospital management convened a meeting with the striking workers. And after the meeting, the contractor was asked to pay adequate wages to the sanitary workers as per the stipulated norms. Accordingly the contractor accepted to give Rs. 33 as daily wages.

There is a feeling that the Government should immediately abolish the system of entrusting sanitary works in hospitals to private persons.

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