Contract Multipurpose Health Workers to boycott online work

Members of the Contract Multipurpose Health Workers (Female) Union (Punjab) submitted a demand letter and notice to the Civil Surgeon, Jalandhar, Dr Gurmeet Lal, announcing to boycott all online work and the work of additional centres from today.

The letters and notices have been handed over to all civil surgeons of Punjab by members of the union on August 1, announcing the boycott amidst the long-pending demands of the union —- on issues including non-implementation of ‘equal work, equal pay’, burden of online work, including that of additional centres, lack of basic infrastructure at many centres, vacant posts etc. The decision was made by the union after holding an online meeting on July 31.

They requested the Punjab government to resolve all these issues to settle their demands. The health workers said that if no solution is found to these issues by August 10, they will hold a protest rally at the Director’s office on August 11 and start a permanent dharna. They also said that they will oppose the Punjab government in the upcoming by-election for the vacant Tarn Taran Assembly seat.

The union leaders said that the Punjab government had decided to give ‘equal pay for equal work’ to contractual multipurpose health workers in 2014. The orders had also been issued on October 22, 2015. However, due to objections from some employees to the seniority list, the department stayed the move till further orders, following which the orders have not been implemented by the department till date.

They added that after 10 years, on February 10 this year, following a decision by the High Court, fresh orders have still not been issued. The union leaders added that the Health Minister and Health Secretary gave directions to the department, after holding panel meetings with the union on June 10 and June 16, 2025 —- but no further action was taken by the Director’s office and Mission Director, NHM Punjab, even after almost two months.