Around 150 casual workers of Malda Medical Hosp launch cease work

Malda: Around 150 casual workers of the Malda Medical College and Hospital (MMCH) have launched a cease work and started a sit-in protest against the non-payment of wages. Already all the junior doctors and house staff have suspended work in protest against the rape and murder incident of RG Kar Hospital.

The agitators claimed that they were not paid wages in July.

Further, these workers alleged that a sum of Rs 8,500 is being demanded from each of them as bribe by the outsourcing agency who had recruited them. The medical superintendent cum vice principal (MSVP) and the principal of MMCH held meetings with the agitators and have even apprised the higher authorities.

Suman Das, a casual staff member, said: “We have been working since the outbreak of COVID-19 and the agency in charge was changed on July 31. With the new agency, we are yet to get the wages for the month of July.

Moreover, they have demanded Rs 8,500 from each of us if we want to continue service. Why should we pay this? We informed MMCH authorities about this but no initiative has been taken so we stopped working from Tuesday and are in a sit-in protest.”

The sit-in protest is being held on the ground floor of the Trauma Care building. Partha Pratim Mukherjee, principal of MMCH, said: “The agency has been changed by the West Bengal Medical Service Corporation. We have already contacted the Corporation and asked them to take urgent steps.

We are also talking to the protesters and asking for sometime to resolve the issue. We shall also look into the allegations of bribery.”

Late in the evening the agitation was lifted on condition that the matter will be settled within 3 days, failing which the agitators have threatened to launch a

bigger agitation.