Chandigarh to reinstate 178 NHM employees

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 7

The UT Health Department finally decided to withdraw the termination of 178 contractual appointments under the National Health Mission (NHM) during a meeting here today.

What Admn says

• Each of the sacked employee will submit a request in writing accepting the mistake and giving assurance of better conduct in future
• They will voluntary and unconditionally withdraw the pending court case on the issue and submit a copy of the withdrawal petition
• The salary of staff under the NHM couldn’t be equal to the DC rates because of the lesser working hours, better leave and other service conditions

The representatives of the NHM staff, whose contractual appointments were terminated about a month ago by the Health Department, met the UT Adviser today.

The employees requested that the orders for termination of contractual appointments might be withdrawn and the staff be allowed to join their duties at the earliest. Their contractual employment may be counted without any break in service and the intervening period of absence may be regularised with leave without pay.

The employees assured that they would like to continue as contractual employees under the NHM and do not opt for the option of outsourced employees on DC rates. They have demanded that in case the salary under the NHM can’t be equal to the DC rates because of the difference in working hours, leaves and other service conditions, then the appropriate revision of salary under the NHM may please be considered sympathetically.

After detailed deliberations, the UT Health Secretary decided that each of the terminated employee will submit a request in writing accepting the mistake and giving assurance of better conduct in future. They will voluntary and unconditionally withdraw the pending court case on the issue and submit a copy of the withdrawal petition. The Health Secretary further clarified that the salary under the NHM couldn’t be equal to the DC rates because of the lesser working hours, better leave and other service conditions. However, the possibility for appropriate revision of the salary under the NHM may be examined separately with due consideration to the working hours, leaves and other service conditions.

On October 30, the UT Administration terminated the services of 178 contractual employees working under the NHM for holding a strike while the city was reeling under dengue and Covid-19 outbreak.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.