Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 20: A two-hour strike was observed today by non-gazetted employees across various Government health institutions and medical colleges in Jammu and Kashmir following a call by the Joint Action Committee of the Jammu and Kashmir Medical Employees Federation (JKMEF) to protest against the withdrawal of allowances for performing duties on Sundays and gazetted holidays.
The Federation termed the move of withdrawal of allowances “unjust and demoralizing,” stating that the benefit had been in place since 1991 under an existing Government order.
Federation president Jaswinder Singh, addressing employees at Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar, said the sudden stoppage of payments without justification violated long-standing norms and adversely affected the workforce. He urged the Administrative Secretary, Health and Medical Education, to intervene and resolve the issue at the earliest, warning that continued unrest could impact hospital functioning at a time when health institutions are already facing staff shortages.
Chairman JKMEF Sushil Sudan reiterated that employees across the Union Territory remain united and demanded immediate withdrawal of the order and release of pending allowances. He warned that if the decision is not revoked within a week, the agitation will be intensified from the first week of March.
A similar protest was held by paramedical staff at Government Medical College Rajouri and its associated hospital, under the presidentship of Nasir Khan. The paramedical and nursing staff temporarily suspended routine work for two hours while ensuring that emergency services and critical patient care remained unaffected. The protesting staff appealed to the Government to resolve the issue at the earliest.
In Reasi District Hospital also, non-gazetted employees observed two-hour strike. The protesting employees demanded immediate withdrawal of the impugned orders, warning that the protest will be intensified if the Government fails to address their grievances.
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