Ambulance workers go on 24-hour strike

Ambulance services across Himachal Pradesh were severely disrupted as hundreds of employees under the 108 and 102 ambulance services went on a 24-hour statewide strike in support of their demands, including the implementation of labour laws.

In Shimla, the Ambulance Employees Union, affiliated with CITU, staged a protest outside the office of National Health Mission (NHM).

CITU state president Vijender Mehra alleged that ambulance workers, including drivers, staff members EMTs, etc, were being exploited. They were being forced to work in 12-hour shifts without being paid for extra time, he added.

“The workers are not even being paid minimum wages as mandated by the government. Despite rulings from the Himachal Pradesh High Court, Labour Court, CJM Court, Shimla, as well as the state’s Labour Department, these issues remain unresolved,” he said.

“The union leaders are being transferred arbitrarily and pressured into resigning. Several workers have been kept off duty for months without justification and are being threatened. They are also being denied legal entitlements like leave and social security benefits,” he claimed.

Mehra also alleged major discrepancies in the implementation of EPF and ESI schemes. “Both shares of the EPF contribution are being deducted from employees, effectively causing a monthly loss of around Rs 2,000 for each employee. Their basic salary is kept low, and there are widespread violations of labour laws,” he added.

After the protest, union representatives submitted a 12-point charter of their demands to NHM Managing Director Pradeep Kumar, who assured them of an appropriate action.