Ambulance services in Mandi district were disrupted today following a two-day strike call given by ambulance employees affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU).
The strike began at midnight yesterday and would continue till Saturday night, affecting emergency medical services in the district.
According to the union, all 169 ambulance employees in Mandi district, including drivers and Emergency Medical Technicians, joined the strike. As a result, services at 28 locations were halted and 50 ambulances and bike ambulances were not operational, severely impacting public healthcare services.
The striking employees gathered at the district headquarters here, staged a demonstration and took out a rally through Mandi city. Union leaders claimed that the strike was 100 per cent successful in the district.
The protest was led by District union president of ambulance staff, Sumit Kapoor, general Secretary Pankaj Kumar, along with leaders Santosh Kumari, Mamta Sharma, Rajni, Tilak Raj, Yogesh Kumar, Chaman Lal, Manoj Kumar, Ranjneesh, Hans Raj and CITU district president Bhupender Singh.
The union representatives stated that the 108 and 102 ambulance employees in Himachal Pradesh were appointed by the Medswan Foundation under the National Health Mission in 2022. Before this, GVK Company had hired the employees in 2010. They alleged that during the transition, the workers were denied retrenchment compensation, gratuity and other statutory benefits while the Health Mission remained a “mute spectator.”
The union accused the employer company of exploiting the ambulance workers for a long time. They alleged that the employees were not being paid the prescribed minimum wages, were made to work in 12-hour shifts without overtime pay and were denied weekly offs and other kinds of leave. Despite the orders of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, Labour Court, CGM Court, Shimla, and the Labour Department, the situation had not improved, it alleged.
The union leaders alleged that whenever workers raised demands, they were subjected to mental harassment. Earlier, the employees had staged two one-day strikes but even after that the company failed to pay minimum wages and overtime, forcing the workers to escalate their agitation and go on a two-day strike.
CITU district president Bhupender Singh warned that if the company failed to implement government norms regarding wages, overtime, leave, vehicle maintenance, insurance, full salary during illness, compliance with court and Labour Department orders and stop harassing the union leaders, they would be compelled to go on an indefinite strike.
Bhupender condemned the government’s decision to impose the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to curb the strike.